Selma Blair is proud of her cane.
The “Legally Blonde” actress, who opened up about her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 2018, graces the cover of British Vogue’s May 2023 issue, featuring disabled talents as cover stars.
Blair looks stunning as she poses with her cane in a nude ensemble on the cover, telling the magazine: “I have an emotional and physical attachment to the cane.”
She continues, “I settle in my voice and body as soon as I hold [it]. It’s an extension of me. And I know it adds to visibility.”
Blair, who famously walked with her cane on the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party red carpet in her first public appearance since announcing her MS diagnosis, shares: “So many younger people have started publicly embracing their sticks more. I do think representation matters.
“If I can help remove stigma or over-curiosity in a crowd for someone else, then that’s great,” she explains.
READ MORE: Selma Blair Says Her MS Is ‘So Much Better’ And Talks Going On ‘Dancing With The Stars’
Elsewhere in the candid interview, Blair opens up about her struggles with the diagnosis, especially the many years of not knowing exactly what she was dealing with.
“As an adult, the lassitude and anxiety became terrifying, actually,” Blair admits of suffering secret symptoms. “I made mistakes. Wished myself dead. Attempted suicide. A few times. Out of desperation.”
READ MORE: Selma Blair Details Her Powerful Bond With Christina Applegate Amid MS Battles
She says of pulling away from the industry after filming the U.S. TV remake of “Kath & Kim” in 2009: “My autoimmune system was misfiring… losing most of my hair and all of my energy. I kinda bowed out [after the show]. It was a French exit and everybody else stayed at the party… My self-hatred was extreme.
“I could not manage well and I couldn’t even try to find work… It was a running joke. How far was the audition? How many naps would I fit in on the side of the road before and after? [When I quit acting] I spent my days in bed, crying, sometimes binge drinking, sometimes reading and sleeping, seeing doctors and healers… I gave up almost until the diagnosis. I was always terrified I would be deemed incapable. Or mentally unsound. My mother taught me that was death for a woman career-wise.”
See the full feature in the May issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands April 25.
