Selma Blair surprised everyone when he revealed during the live episode of Dancing with the Stars on October 17 that he would be leaving the show early due to health issues as he continues to battle multiple sclerosis. After the show, Selma told reporters, including Hollywood Life, that she “didn’t want to leave” the show.
The actress revealed during the episode that she had MRIs done and admitted that her body “has taken a hit” since she started ETAP. “It’s too much for the safety of my bones. There’s just intensive bone trauma and inflammation, in between rips and tears, so it could cause extensive damage which of course I don’t want,” he continued.
After the episode, Derek Hough praised Selma for her bravery and called her “the story of dancing with the stars season 31. I mean, in a nutshell, and she still is. What she accomplished on the show was nothing short of a miracle and oh so sensational.” She called her departure “one of the most beautiful farewells in dancing with the history of the stars.”
Wayne Brady admitted that Selma’s departure took him by surprise. “It was a shock. Pure, unadulterated shock,” Wayne said of his reaction. “I haven’t heard anything about it, and she lights up this competition. As I said before that this is a very human show… Selma is truly the light that we have all drawn. We’re all close now, so she’s a loss.”
Selma was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 after years of having symptoms. “I’m disabled. I fall sometimes. I leave things. My memory is cloudy. 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’ll do, but I’ll do my best.”
Emma slater who dances with Trevor Donovan gushed that Selma “really is a light to everyone. Derek said something that was very true. The makeup department, the wardrobe department, and every department on the show are touched by her. She has this extremely positive energy and has time for everyone. Seeing her leave at such an early point in the competition is sad, but it’s 100% the right thing to do. She just exceeded all kinds of expectations. She got 40 from the judges, a standing ovation, and is an absolute goddess. I think she and Sasha together are the perfect team. He did really well with her, and we’re all friends for life for sure.”
Jose Baena noted that Selma has “such a warm heart. It’s very sad to see her walk away from her and it was very emotional for everyone to see her walk away from her because everyone loves hanging out with her in rehearsals and throughout the show.”
Selma was able to dance a final routine at the end of the episode. She wowed with her soulful waltz to “What The World Needs Now Is Love” by Andra’s Day. Selma and Sasha finished their ETAP race with the first perfect score of the season.
