Selma Blair pens emotional letter to her younger self: ‘Trade your fear for hope’

Selma Blair became vulnerable in an open letter to her younger self People Beautiful number 2023.

The Cruel Intentions actress, 50, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in August 2018, began her candid comment by acknowledging that she used to be “scared of growing up” and didn’t know “how to do anything”. what successful adults do’.

‘It’ll be fine. Don’t worry so much about the future,’ she assured herself. “That thing you couldn’t put your finger on. It’s hope. Trade your fear for hope. Keep reading. Write every day. Please trust yourself.’

She urged her former adolescent version of her to “tell the truth” and “observe.”

“Good things will happen. And terrible things. And it will all be part of finding a foothold and moving on. You are worth loving,’ the child’s mother insisted.

Before closing the post, the Legally Blonde star had one more thought to share.

‘PS You bought yourself the horse you will always hope for. His name is Mr. Nibbles. You will be able to do a lot. Please do not worry. And take a deep breath. And exhale. Keep walking past the open windows.’

Five years ago, the artist announced her MS diagnosis to the world.

The degenerative disease affects the central nervous system, resulting in a loss of mobility.

Selma recently opened up about her use of a cane in the cover story for the May 2023 issue of British Vogue.

“I have an emotional and physical attachment to the stick,” she told the outlet. “It’s an extension of me.”

In that interview, the Hellboy actress also talked about her mental health during the time when her MS was symptomatic but undiagnosed.

“As an adult, the fatigue and anxiety actually became terrifying. I made mistakes. I wished myself dead. Suicide attempt. A couple of times. Out of desperation she revealed.’

Selma said she often had to mask her symptoms while working on movie sets and would self-medicate to cope with the pain.

She said, “Sets were excruciating at times with the exhaustion and the tics. I took benzos and Klonopin (used to prevent seizures and anxiety).

“I wasn’t abusing those things, just alcohol. But I was lost and sad and could hardly ever smile. Hence my roles, I think.’

She added: ‘I’ve been afraid since the beginning of time that a glaring mistake would remove me from the workforce. And most of the time it was my lack of coordination or getting stuck, too weak or sick, in my caravan – or always.’

The introductory, Selma Blair star said she would suffer from vomiting, hair loss and skin rashes and was diagnosed with cat scratch fever and possible leukemia while working on the movie Hellboy.

Selma has been praised for appearing on the cover of Vogue and has been described as a “superhero” for the “fantastic” photos.

One person wrote on Twitter, “Selma Blair looks like a superhero with her cape and I love how the photo celebrates her cane.”

Another commented, ‘So happy to see the beautiful @SelmaBlair on the @BritishVogue Cover! Great work @CondeNast, and the photos are just amazing!’

A third tweeted: “Brilliant. @edwardennin70 great decision for a special,” and another added: “Fantastic feature – thanks.”

Selma took a break from the acting industry in 2009 after filming the American remake of Kath & Kim, saying her autoimmune system was “failing”.

She said she often spent her days crying in bed during this time and worried that her health problems would prevent her from working again.

However, making her MS diagnosis public brought many positives for the star, who wrote a best-selling memoir called Mean Baby in 2022.

She was also one of the few disabled contestants to compete on Dancing With The Stars, but was forced to withdraw from the show due to health reasons.

The star said she is not currently looking for acting work, but does believe working in films would be “doable” with her MS.

The actress was one of the notable figures participating in British Vogue’s Reframing Fashion issue, which features 19 talents with disabilities.