Actress Selma Blair Revealed She Has Multiple Sclerosis In A Heartbreaking Instagram Post

Actress Selma Blair, star of Cruel Intentions and Legally Blonde, has revealed that she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in a heartbreaking Instagram post.

Multiple sclerosis (known as MS) is an incurable condition that affects the central nervous system, resulting in vision loss, pain, fatigue, muscle weakness, and impaired coordination.

Selma says that she was diagnosed just two months ago after experiencing symptoms for years that were “never taken seriously”.

I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken GPS. But we are doing it. And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely, but I will do my best.

She thanked her friends Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr, Elizabeth Berkley and Jaime King for their support following her diagnosis, as well as the costume designer on her new Netflix show Another Life, who “carefully gets my legs in my pants, pulls my tops over my head, buttons my coats and offers her shoulder to steady myself”.

“I am in the thick of it but I hope to give some hope to others. And even to myself,” she wrote. “You can’t get help unless you ask.”

It can be overwhelming in the beginning. You want to sleep. You always want to sleep… But I am a forthcoming person and I want my life to be full somehow. I want to play with my son again. I want to walk down the street and ride my horse. But if you see me dropping crap all over the street, feel free to help me pick it up. It takes a whole day for me alone.

“I have had this incurable disease for 15 years at least. And I am relieved to at least know,” she concluded.

Replying to a comment from a fellow MS sufferer, Selma said that doctors told her she was “depressed” when her symptoms worsened after her son Arthur was born in 2011.

Her post has been met with a wave of support from celebrities and fans alike, with Sarah Michelle Gellar simply responding: “I love you, I’m proud of you, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

A spokesperson for the MS Society in the UK commended the actress for speaking out, saying that the attitude of Selma’s colleagues was “encouraging” for MS sufferers.

“Having the right support around you is crucial because, when your employer takes time to understand MS, you can enjoy a full working life for as long as you want or are able to.”

• multiple sclerosis
• selma blair