Selma Blair: 'Multiple sclerosis took my career down'

US histrion Selma Blair says speaking publically astir her aggregate sclerosis (MS) diagnosis has had a large interaction connected her vocation successful Hollywood.

"When I talked astir it, determination was truthful overmuch support, but I ne'er got a occupation again," she tells BBC 100 Women.

Blair had experienced fatigue and code disturbances since her youth, but doctors took galore years to found what was wrong.

Her unexplained wellness issues led to years of feeling debased but she says she kept them secret.

"I was ashamed and acrophobic I wouldn't enactment again."

Doctors often assumed the occupation was psychological.

"They would say, 'OK, what benignant of trauma person you had?' 'We bash deliberation this is psychosomatic.' But without immoderate existent neurological tests."

When Blair was yet diagnosed successful 2018, she felt "unburdened".

"It was a relief. There was a small spot of panic, similar however volition I person the vigor to ever adjacent woody with this?

"I had been down that roadworthy for truthful galore years without a diagnosis that I did consciousness benignant of hopeless still, but I was hoping that the diagnosis of MS would springiness maine truthful galore much options.

"It was an amazing, comforting feeling to cognize that determination was a full assemblage of chronic unwellness oregon MS patients."

Selma Blair is 1 of the women featured connected the BBC 100 Women list, which each twelvemonth names 100 inspiring and influential women astir the world. This twelvemonth the database is honouring the advancement that has been made since its inception 10 years ago.

Known for iconic films specified arsenic Cruel Intentions and Legally Blonde, Blair is present focusing connected being an state to the MS assemblage and expanding the visibility of disabled radical successful movie and television.

"Hollywood has been a family," she says.

"I made unthinkable women friends. There isn't a movie that I was connected that I didn't marque friends with the wardrobe, hair, make-up, the stars - Sarah Michelle Gellar especially, and Jaime King.

"I convey my fortunate stars for that due to the fact that they're the radical I've gone to erstwhile I needed allies and they were there."

She thinks Hollywood has made advancement with respect to the practice of disabled people, but wants it to bash more.

"There is simply a bigger work to make iconic images with radical that person disabilities," she says.

"I cognize that my ain MS took my vocation down. I had to halt moving for years, adjacent earlier I had my lad [in 2011], due to the fact that I wasn't well.

"Disability was affecting maine and taking maine retired of the workforce and it created immense changes successful my carnal appearance… things that couldn't beryllium successful a movie oregon a TV show."

Blair says she's not bitter astir a deficiency of acting offers since her diagnosis: "I don't cognize however overmuch I've said 'Oh my God, I'm consenting to beryllium connected a acceptable each day.'"

But she does privation to get backmost to filming: "I anticipation that my ain cognition of what I tin grip tin beryllium a spot for me, due to the fact that the radical you enactment with bash privation to cognize what you tin handle."

She precocious appeared successful the US tv amusement Dancing with the Stars, arsenic a mode to cheque her stamina. Earlier than planned, she had to permission the contention due to the fact that of the interaction grooming was having connected her health.

"I deserved the accidental to try," she says.

"I was truthful arrogant of what Dancing with the Stars did by having idiosyncratic similar maine connected the show. There were truthful galore things they were doing for the disabled assemblage astir visibility that are important to me."

Earlier this year, Blair published a memoir detailing her experiences of MS, arsenic good arsenic looking backmost astatine her beingness and career.

"I wanted to constitute a publication for the small Selmas retired determination that are afraid," she says.

As a younger histrion moving successful Hollywood, Blair had a semipermanent occupation with intoxicant that she kept secret.

"I didn't cognize however galore radical felt breached similar me," she says.

"Saying 'I'm fine' each the clip is what made maine portion successful a bath astatine the property of 9 until I'd walk out."

Writing her publication has been a signifier of therapy, Blair says, arsenic has collaborating connected an inclusive make-up enactment with much accessible tools.

Due to MS symptoms, Blair says she would often wounded herself erstwhile applying cosmetics.

Earlier this twelvemonth she was announced arsenic main originative serviceman of Guide Beauty, an ergonomic marque that designs its products for radical surviving with conditions specified arsenic rheumatoid arthritis, autism and traumatic encephalon injuries.

But portion Blair sees advancement being made successful Hollywood and successful immoderate US concern sectors, she besides points retired areas of beingness which she says person taken a measurement backmost for women successful the state - specified arsenic reproductive rights.

"I was arsenic shocked arsenic galore radical erstwhile Roe v Wade similar overnight was overturned," she says. "I thought determination were much safeguards."

Earlier this twelvemonth a ruling by the US Supreme Court efficaciously ended the law close to termination for millions of US women.

"I thought it was precise frightening that could beryllium undone, that truthful galore radical consciousness the request to power our bodies and our decisions."

Blair remains hopeful for the future, and draws comfortableness from the information that it is the enactment of different women which has allowed her to proceed and thrive.

"We request to cognize that we are strong," she says.

"We volition person to get our votes in. We person to basal up and beryllium visible, we volition not beryllium silenced with our ain bodies."

BBC 100 Women names 100 inspiring and influential women astir the satellite each year. Follow BBC 100 Women connected Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Join the speech utilizing #BBC100Women.