Why Selma Blair is Hollywood’s comeback queen of 2022: her multiple sclerosis is in remission, she got a standing ovation at the Emmys and did cartwheels on Dancing with the Stars
- The Legally Blonde and Hellboy actress announced on Instagram in 2018 that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease with no cure, but is now in remission
- She shares her experiences with stem cell treatment in her new memoir, Mean Baby, and opens up about friendships with celebrities like Britney Spears and Claire Danes
We love a relatable celeb. Give us candid, down-to-earth and humble, over-cool, distant and aloof any day.
Actress Selma Blair, 50, fits snugly into that first category. After getting her start starring in some of the biggest teen dramas and romcoms of the 00s (think: Legally Blonde and The Sweetest Thing), she moved into smaller independent films and generally seemed to take a step back from the limelight.
Until, that is, she announced in 2018 that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Blair then bravely stepped up to embrace a new role as one of Hollywood’s leading advocates for disability rights and awareness.
The 50-year-old has had her share of life’s ups and downs, but with news of her disease in remission, widespread critical acclaim for both her memoir and MS documentary, a slot competing on Dancing with the Stars, and her former partner dropping a restraining order against her … it would seem that 2022 is the year of Selma Blair. Here’s what you might have missed …
Entering remission for an incurable, life-threatening disease
In October 2018, Blair shared the news on Instagram of her MS diagnosis, after struggling with symptoms that included fatigue, severe vertigo, loss of feeling in her leg and brain fog. MS is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks the protective myelin sheath that surrounds nerves in the brain and spinal cord, disrupting nerve signals to other parts of the body.
There is no cure for MS, but it’s possible to go into remission. And fortunately, that’s just what happened to the actress, after she underwent a risky stem cell treatment, known as hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), over the course of two months, according to People. In late 2021, she shared happy news with the world, and said that she was finally back to living a fairly symptom-free life again.
Cartwheels and splits on Dancing with the Stars
