Selma Blair Exits 'Dancing With the Stars': 'I Can't Go on'—Full Statement

Selma Blair revealed her exit from Dancing With the Stars on Monday's episode.

The Legally Blonde and Cruel Intentions actress had been taking part in Season 31 of the ABC ballroom competition with her professional partner Sasha Farber.

But during the October 17 episode—the first of two episodes this week—Blair, 50, confirmed it was the end of her Dancing With the Stars journey.

The star, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and has been open about living with the condition, has stepped down from the cast to take care of her health.

In a pre-recorded segment that aired on Monday's episode, Blair said: "You know I've been monitored and in touch with my doctors this whole process.

"I had these MRIs and when the results came back, it just all adds up to I can't. I can't. I can't go on with the competition. I pushed as far as I could.

"With a chronic illness, you do have special considerations and my body is definitely taking a hit. It's way too much for the safety of my bones. There's just intensive bone trauma and inflammation among rips and tears so I could do extensive damage that of course, I do not want."

Multiple sclerosis is caused by the body's immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves. Common symptoms include tiredness, vision problems, and problems with walking or balance.

Following the announcement, Blair and Farber took to the dancefloor to perform one last time, dancing a waltz to "What the World Needs Now."

After the performance, the judges were full of praise for Blair, as Bruno Tonioli told her: "You really have inspired millions of people, your star has never shone brighter."

Len Goodman added: "If the others have climbed hills, you have climbed mountains."

Even though they wouldn't count toward the competition, Blair and Farber were still scored by the judges and while they waited, they chatted to Dancing With the Stars co-host Alfonso Ribeiro.

"It's so hard for me to take care because I don't want to, 'cause I want to be here," Blair told the former show champion. "But I know as a mom and someone that also wants to represent some people that are taking chances and sometimes there are just consequences to any chance you take. And mine is fine. I'm going to be okay."

Blair's son Arthur, 11, was in the audience for his mom's final appearance on the show and she shared a touching message with him after receiving a perfect 40 from the judging panel.

"Arthur, I love you the most and I just want to say, I loved this," Blair said. "And sometimes there's going to be uncomfortable things to do in life and you just do it with a smile."

Blair later told Variety: "From day one of joining this show and knowing Sasha before that some, this has been such an awakening in ways that I didn't think would happen in my lifetime.

"I didn't think I'd even have this earnestness in my lifetime to genuinely want to do this and for risk of embarrassment. Forgetting my disabilities or my chronic illness, I wasn't an accomplished dancer at all. So, it's always scary to put it out there. Seeing how every dancer that has come on this show this season has been truly a top-notch star, that makes me realize something really big about our perceptions of people or certain shows or what we think.

"This is gold here. What these celebrities and pros put together is real passion of some kind of self-love, acceptance and performance. It's a really wonderful reminder and to be embraced by these people, my heart is broken in the best way."

Farber, who split from his wife and Dancing With the Stars co-star Emma Slater this year, gushed over Blair and praised her for being a support to him.

"It's been a sh**-show of a year to put lightly," he said to the publication. "But there isn't enough words to tell to say how proud I am. She is a true inspiration. She has not only inspired myself, but so many people around the world. And I'm saying world not just America, because we've been getting so much support from overseas. There's nothing that this lady can't do. This lady right here is an incredible mother, an amazing, iconic actress and a phenomenal dancer. And I couldn't be more proud."

Newsweek has contacted representatives for Blair, Farber and Dancing With the Stars for comment.

After news of Blair's exit, a representative for the MS Trust told Newsweek that the importance of high-profile people such as Blair, raising awareness of the impact of living with multiple sclerosis "cannot be underestimated."

"The condition is very often misunderstood as no two people will have the same range or severity of symptoms," they explained. "Many of the more common symptoms of MS are not immediately obvious and a person living with MS might appear to be quite well on the outside. However, the reality is they may be managing multiple symptoms from fatigue, pain, and altered sensations to bladder problems, spasms and weakness.

"Symptoms may be invisible, but this does not diminish the impact they have on a person. Raising awareness goes a long way to making people with MS feel seen and understood," the representative added.

Dancing With the Stars continues Tuesday, October 18 at 8 p.m. ET on Disney+. The episodes will be available to stream after their original airing.

Update 10/18/22, 9:10 AM ET: The story has been updated with a comment from the MS Trust.