Selma Blair is giving an update on her experience with multiple sclerosis.
After being diagnosed with MS in 2018 and undergoing a stem cell transplant in 2019, the actress announced in 2021 that she's in remission. While she noted in SELF's January cover story that she's "stopped losing abilities," she said that she still experiences occasional MS symptoms. According to the magazine, these include mild dystonia—involuntary muscle contractions that can cause slurred speech or spasms in her leg—as well as her left leg going numb if she's been sitting for a while.
"I'm so much better, but it haunts my physical cells. It's there," Blair, 50, told the publication. "Some people wake up two years later and they're like, 'I'm healed! Colors are brighter!' But I never had that moment. I just stopped having regression."
Reflecting on her diagnosis, the Cruel Intentions star said it "really did rewire me."
"It rewired me to find acceptance in being honest about my faults, about my past addiction, and about my problems," continued Blair, who has spoken about her sobriety and has not had an alcoholic drink since 2016. "It made me more empathetic towards myself."
Over the past few years, Blair has given fans a look at what her life has been like—including in her book Mean Baby: A Memoir of Growing Up, in her documentary Introducing, Selma Blair and on season 31 of Dancing With the Stars, where she competed with pro Sasha Farber before bowing out due to health reasons.
"I always say how visibility matters for the disabled," she told SELF. "Well, visibility matters for everyone. You have to show that you're still alive."
And the Legally Blonde alum continues to shine a spotlight on disability advocacy, with the outlet noting she works with the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America and the American Association of People with Disabilities.
"To know that there are so many incredible stories and people and things that need to catch up and need to represent and I do say, of course, we have to do more," Blair told the BBC in December. "So I'm really happy to be just a visible ally. Some people might see me as someone with a disability, some people might not and that's not for me to judge. That's for whoever wants whatever encouragement I might offer."