Dancing with the Stars shocker: beloved star forced to drop out

It was Most Memorable Year night on Monday’s Dancing with the Stars, which also marks the halfway point for the competition. With two shows this week, the stakes are higher than ever for the stars and their professional partners. But no one expected to say goodbye to a fan favorite, who bowed out of the competition due to health concerns. 

Selma Blair revealed that she’d be leaving the show after tonight. During rehearsals she revealed to her partner Sasha Farber that she wouldn’t be able to continue in the competition after an MRI revealed that dancing was causing damage to her bones. Her team of doctors told her she’d be unable to keep dancing because of the “extensive damage” being done to her body. 

Blair was diagnosed with MS in 2018 and stunned everyone in the ballroom with her inspired dance routines, including a routine when she danced blindfolded to help offset the sensory overload that was impacting her while on the dance floor. Farber crafted dances that played to her strengths and compensated for weakness in her legs. Even so, she managed to pull off near flawless dances — including performing the splits, twice — and has been near the top of the leaderboard every week since the competition began. 

On Monday, Blair danced a waltz to “What the World Needs Now is Love” in honor of the year 2018 when she was diagnosed with MS. Though the news was tragic, she said that the diagnosis was also the “beginning of [her] recovery as a person.” She received the season’s first 40, a perfect score.

As soon as she finished her waltz there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. 

“This competition is tough for everyone,” judge Len Goodman said, “but if the others have climbed hills, you have climbed mountains. Congratulations.”

Since Blair dropped out of the competition, there was no elimination on Monday night’s program and all of the other couples moved on. The stars will be back in the ballroom on Tuesday for Prom Night, and this time someone will be going home.

Not surprisingly, fans were shocked and saddened by Blair's news. Social media was full of fans expressing their love and support for her.

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on Disney Plus.