Selma Blair is joining the cast of ‘Dancing With The Stars’ amid a very public and serious battle with multiple sclerosis.
We’ve learned the famous actress will join the cast of ‘DWTS’ where she will battle other celebrities for the reality dance championship. Shockingly, Blair will take on the painstaking job while still suffering from the illness.
In October of 2018, Blair revealed she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, after suffering what she believed to be a pinched nerve or even another illness altogether. Unfortunately, she eventually was told the troubles were more serious.
Sources close to the show tell The Blast, Selma will join Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son — Joseph Baena — and ‘RHONJ’ star Teresa Guidice on the dance floor. Also, country star Jessie James Decker will be joining the cast.
Selma Blair Nicknames Her Walking Cane, Her ‘Dance Partner’
As we reported, Blair raised awareness of her condition and MS, in a documentary called, “Introducing, Selma Blair” which showcased everything she had to deal with that including tremendous loss of movement in her legs that affected her walking and the loss of the ability to talk.
“It was a really hard time in my life. People don’t say how excruciating, emotionally, it can be to kind of proof you’re not well. But I want to tell the truth about MS. It is important to me that people see what living with a chronic illness is like,” she told People.
Interestingly, Selma has recently been photographed using a walking cane — something she nicknamed her “dance partner.”
“Movement has been so important to me my whole life. I was a gymnast. I always wanted to be a dancer, but I never had any talent, never even took a lesson, and then to have my movement compromised,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. Adding, “But then I found the cane and realized how much I could work around it and how much coordination I still had, despite certain glitches. That freed me up so much.”
‘DWTS’ Casts Selma Blair Dancing With Sasha Farber
In the documentary, Blair outlined treatments for the disease, including several rounds of chemotherapy and also having a stem cell transplant that has since put her MS in remission.
The drastic improvement from all of that has helped her mobility in such a way that she now gets to do so much more in her life and especially gives her more time with her son. “I’m working on it. Little by little, I can do all these things. I mean, I can’t say I could go running, but I can jog down to the mailbox if I were to practice a few times,” she told People.
The full and official cast announcement of ‘DWTS’ is set to go down during a September 8th episode of ‘Good Morning America’ and though there have been rumors on who will be the partners, we’re told Selma Blair will be dancing with professional Sasha Farber.
Insiders Say Selma Blair Is A ‘Major Get’ For Dancing With The Stars
A source close to the actress tells The Blast, ‘Selma’s story is the exact thing that the show wants and loves. It was a major get for the show to have Selma come dance this season. And she is really excited to give it a shot. The emotion from the ballroom from what she will create will show everyone that you can do anything, even when you are dealing with hardships or struggles in life. She is going to be great for the show.”
This isn’t the first time ‘Dancing with the Stars’ has played host to an inspiring story — including double amputee Amy Purdy, and war hero J.R. Martinez.
Dancing with the Stars goes live on Disney+ on September 19th.
