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Hollywood actress Selma Blair has opened up about how she handles her multiple sclerosis, and how her diagnosis hasn't stopped her from living her life.
The actress, who is known for her roles in Cruel Intentions and Legally Blonde, first revealed she had the condition in 2018. Multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, causes the immune system to attack the protective covering of nerve fibres and impacts communication between the brain and the body. Typical symptoms include trouble with your vision, movement in your arms or legs, and sensation or balance problems.
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Blair, who underwent stem cell regeneration and has been in remission since 2001, has spoken about how she won't let the disease stop her from living her life.
Speaking to the Today programme, she said: "I don’t live in fear of this condition at all."
She added: "I still have symptoms. I do not have the absolute weakness that I had for a long time, and if I focus on something really truly and I’m awake, I can correct it. But often, it just takes a lot of energy."
Blair has always been vocal about her battle with MS, and last year she performed as part of the US's Dancing with the Stars but was forced to withdraw after five weeks on doctor's orders.
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Discussing how the illness can affect her day to day, Blair explained: "I don’t know where my body always is in space when I’m tired. When I’m tired, I become very spastic, and my speech is dystonic."
Blair is a well known advocate and ambassador for the MS community, and her own perception of the illness has changed. She confessed: "I’ve really changed a lot of my own perceptions of disability and (now realise) what heroes so many people in the disabled community are.
"You have to be a squeaky wheel to get what you want.... There aren't a lot of allies in the disabled community that are lucky enough to be on the platform that I have to bring things out."
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Blair isn't the only Hollywood actress to be vocal about MS, with her The Sweetest Thing co-star Christina Applegate also revealing her diagnosis in August 2021.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight last year, Blair heaped praise onto her friend and colleague as she said: "I've known Christina for so many years, we're really close, and I'm just a fan of hers.
"She is an iconic California girl actress of my generation, and she is it.
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"There has not been one thing that she's done that I haven't been like, 'Nailed it', and she's nailing just being who she is with this MS."
Niamh Spence