Los Angeles, Jul 18 (IANS): Hollywood actress Selma Blair says she became “much happier” after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, as she could finally deal with her health sensibly.

Multiple sclerosis is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord.

Before being diagnosed with it in 2018, Blair underwent a risky two-month hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to try and kickstart her immune system.

The actress told Us Weekly: "Once I knew I had MS -- which I’d had for a while -- things made so much more sense. And I actually became much happier. I’d had these jerks and spasms for many years, and I’d try to suppress them or keep moving, or drink excessive amounts of alcohol to stop big things that I thought were mental.

"I honestly thought I was making it up before I was diagnosed. I just thought, 'Jesus, Selma, you’re very broken inside. Admit it'. I didn’t know I wasn’t broken and that I had brain tissue damage."

The 'Cruel Intentions' actress said that she was "living a lie" until the diagnosis and has now realised that her condition is more about how she deals with others than about herself, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The actress added: "I’m so much happier. Yes, there are setbacks, and my heart breaks when life goes off the rails. I was a sad person. I wanted joy and good things, but I was living a lie because I didn’t know I was sick."

“I convinced myself I was just that dramatic, weird girl who needed alcohol to not stutter. I could’ve been kinder to myself. I realised it’s not about me. It’s about how I deal with people in the world. My stutter or dystonia, or lack of ability to function in the sun -- if that happens to me, it happens to others."