Canada
This article was added by the user . TheWorldNews is not responsible for the content of the platform.

Selma Blair’s MS diagnosis has ‘damaged’ her career

Selma Blair attends The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100, Dec. 8, 2021.
Selma Blair attends The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Power 100, Dec. 8, 2021. Photo by Getty Images / Files /Bang Showbiz

Selma Blair thinks speaking publicly about her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis has damaged her career.

The 50-year-old actress was diagnosed with MS – which can lead to physical and mental problems – in 2018, and she’s convinced that it’s had a negative impact on her career in Hollywood.

As the Canadian national soccer teams head to their respective FIFA World Cups, Derek Van Diest is on the scene to cover all the action. Expect expert insights and analysis in your inbox daily throughout the tournaments, and weekly on Thursdays for the rest of the season.

By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

“When I talked about it, there was so much support, but I never got a job again,” she told the BBC.

The actress has experienced fatigue and speech disturbances for decades. However, she remained tight-lipped about the issue for a long time because she thought it would damage her career.

“I was ashamed and concerned I wouldn’t work again,” she said.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Despite this, Blair actually felt “unburdened” when she received the diagnosis.

“It was a relief,” the Dark Horse star said. “There was a little bit of panic, like how will I have the energy to ever even deal with this?

“I had been down that road for so many years without a diagnosis that I did feel kind of hopeless still, but I was hoping that the diagnosis of MS would give me so many more options.

“It was an amazing, comforting feeling to know that there was a whole community of chronic illness or MS patients.”

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Blair believes that Hollywood has made strides in its representation of people with disabilities. However, she insists that much more can still be done.

The actress – who has an 11-year-old son Arthur – said: “There is a bigger responsibility to create iconic images with people that have disabilities.

“I know that my own MS took my career down. I had to stop working for years, even before I had my son [in 2011], because I wasn’t well.

“Disability was affecting me and taking me out of the workforce and it created huge changes in my physical appearance … things that couldn’t be in a movie or a TV show.”