Selma Blair Shares What It Meant to Let Go of Her Cane on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Photo by: ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 2 minutes
On Monday night, Dancing with the Stars contestant Selma Blair delivered an emotional first dance with her partner Sasha Farber that started with her letting go of her cane. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018.
Selma Blair Lets Go of Her Cane on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
“It means everything,” Selma told Entertainment Tonight about letting go of her cane for the Viennese waltz. “I am a vulnerable person now out here, you know, with some differences I have or weakness. I really never thought I would be able to dance, like, with both my feet.”
The actress added that it “means so much to be able to lean on someone for my balance,” sharing that she hopes she can inspire people to do things out of their comfort zone. She called it “an incredible feeling.”
Selma and Farber are neighbors outside of the show, and while she was uncertain about dancing at first, she said, “But then we just kind of stood next to each other and he said, ‘You know, ‘I’m not gonna let you go.’ And I said, ‘Wow, no one’s ever said that to me before. So I’m gonna go.'”
The actress said she’s working on building her stamina after undergoing a stem cell transplant. She shared that it “feels so good to move, it feels so good to gain strength,” adding, “I’m just truly, truly grateful and enjoying this so much.”
SEE ALSO: SELMA BLAIR CALLS ‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’ A ‘NEW CHAPTER’ FOR HER
Selma Says She’s Doing This for Viewers
Before Season 31 started, Selma shared that she decided to take part in Dancing with the Stars “for the viewer,” explaining, “In dark times in my life, there have been people that came forward—strangers on the street or Instagram… I’m doing it for them.”
Selma Openly talked about her experience with multiple sclerosis and struggle with alcohol addiction in her book Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up. The book, which published earlier this year has secured the title of New York Times Best Seller.
The actress and her partner earned a score of 28 from the judges and tied for third place this week. They will be returning to the show to dance again next Monday night on Disney+.
