On this night, there wasn’t a dry eye in the ballroom.
The Oct. 17 episode of Dancing With the Stars brought the end of the road for the season’s most inspiring performer—and one last dance.
As Selma Blair, who had been competing on the show following her MS diagnosis in 2018, entered the rehearsal studio to prepare for her routine with partner Sasha Farber, she had some difficult news to break.
“You know I’ve been monitored and in touch with my doctors this whole process,” Selma told Sasha. “I had these MRIs. The results came back and it all just adds up to that I can’t go on with the competition. I pushed as far as I could.”
Selma explained that if she continued, she would risk extensive damage to her body, but vowed to use it as a learning experience for her 11-year-old son Arthur, telling Sasha, “I’ll have to settle in and get back to being a mom and showing him I have to pull back on something that I love doing and sometimes you make hard decisions.”
Not to be deterred, however, Selma said, “I really want to have one last beautiful dance with you.”
And that’s exactly what she did.
Set to “What the World Needs Now,” Selma and Sasha danced a gorgeous waltz that brought the ballroom to its feet and practically every person inside the ballroom reaching for the nearest tissue.