Selma Blair, 53, who rose to fame for her extraordinary role as Cecile Caldwell in Cruel Intentions, is finally opening up about the daily reality of living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The actress, who was attending a two-day event in New York City, told a leading media outlet that people often misunderstand her as 'difficult or drunk.'
At the event, she joked, "I have Estonia, which is often misunderstood as difficult or drunk. Which I could be." The 53-year-old star continued, "When I actually have to hone in, I can get a little bit of spasticity and my dystonia kicks in - so I was always kind of nervous to travel even though it was the biggest light in my life."
The Legally Blonde actress was first diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in 2018 and has been in remission since 2021. However, Blair told the media in 2023 that she had lived for 40 years before learning about the medical condition in which the immune system attacks myelin, a protective membrane.
According to the 53-year-old actress, the disease is unpredictable, and her body tends to agitate when she is distressed. She said, "MS is totally strange. We're not making it up, usually, I mean unless it's a really bad dinner." Talking more about the daily reality of living with multiple sclerosis, the actress told the media, "I go under scaffolding and all of a sudden it sounds like I have cerebral palsy - so the airport is stressful."
The Creul Intension star further revealed, "There can be a lot of misunderstanding and a lot of crying at airports, even if things go well," Blair said. "People will say 'I saw you walk up to this gate and now you're acting like you can't talk.' It's like, 'No this isn't manipulation.' And then as soon as I talk, they ask me, 'Do we need the police?'"
Multiple sclerosis is a medical condition that occurs when the immune system attacks the spinal cord and brain. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), symptoms of multiple sclerosis typically appear in young adults between 20 and 40. This autoimmune disease is a result of the immune system, which protects us from viruses and bacteria, mistakenly attacking the healthy cells in the body.
The symptoms of MS may vary from person to person, strictly depending on the location of the nerve fibre damage. Some of the common symptoms of multiple sclerosis include:
The US health agency notes that women are more likely to get multiple sclerosis when compared to men. Other factors include races and ethnicities, but this autoimmune disease is more common in white people. The NIH also suggest that having a parent or sibling with MS can also increase your risk of getting multiple sclerosis. As of now, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, but certain treatments can reduce the severity of symptoms and delaying longterm progression of the disease.
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