Stepping outside of your comfort zone is scary, but if Selma Blair can do it on live TV, anyone can.
During her Dancing With the Stars debut, Blair performed a touching Viennese waltz with DWTS pro, Sasha Farber. The actress captured the hearts of everyone watching the dance as she handed off the cane she uses to support her balance and mobility amid her battle with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Dancing to Time of My Life, Blair began the waltz by leaning with a hand on her cane, but as soon after the song started, she walked away from the aid. Letting go of her cane to lean on Farber, Blair followed his lead through a beautiful and freeing performance, which perfectly fulfilled her hope to “show people who have disabilities the joy that can be found in ways you never expected.”
Blair explained just how emotional the moment was for her, telling ET, “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.”
She continued to share the freedom of the experience, saying “It’s such a joy and I hope that we can all see that we can do things out of our comfort zone and it might not look like everybody else, but it’s still an incredible feeling.”
MS is a disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of the body’s nerves, which causes communication issues between the brain and the rest of the body. Blair was diagnosed in 2018, but she’s not letting the medical condition stop her from living an active and fulfilling life.
Blair told ET she wants to stay active for her 11-year-old son, Arthur Saint Bleick. He shared his own thoughts on his mom’s participation in the celebrity dance competition, saying “I thought it was amazing. I’m really happy that she got out and, like, did all of the dance stuff and classes and stuff like that, and now she got in the third-place tie. I thought that was amazing.”
One dance in, and it seems the show has already majorly shifted Blair’s perspective on her life with MS. She shared, “I’m gonna learn to settle into just gratitude and being kind to myself… Everyone has been so kind to me and this feels so good to move, it feels so good to gain strength. I’m just truly, truly grateful and enjoying this so much.”
In addition to showing off her dance moves, Blair is showing the world that you can truly do anything you set your mind to if you’re open to pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, trusting others, and enjoying the ride — even if the journey looks slightly different than others.’
Before you go, click here to see movies and TV shows that cast disabled actors to play characters with disabilities.
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