Alyson Hannigan got sweet advice from her ex Dancing with the stars contestant Selma Blair.
On Tuesday’s episode of the ABC dance competition, Hannigan’s partner Sasha Farber invited Blair — who he partnered with on season 31 before she quit due to complications from multiple sclerosis — to their rehearsals ahead of their performance of “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast.
“Having Selma visit us was a great honor. She is such an inspiration,” the How I Met Your Mother alum, 49, alum exclusively for PEOPLE. “I love her very much. I hadn’t seen her in years, so it was so nice to have her there… Everyone was so excited to see her. Even the dog, her dog was very excited to be back. It was like… You can see what kind of family they are.”
Sasha Farber and Alyson Hannigan in ‘Dancing with the Stars’.
Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty
DWTS: Julianne Hough Seemingly Drops 1 Couple As ‘Lovebirds,’ And Surprise Guest Welcomes To Rehearsals
“She’s just so beautiful in everything she does and gave me some good, helpful tips, like breathing,” he adds. “So I was standing up there, ‘Okay, I’m breathing for you, Selma,’ and just to have someone who’s been exactly where I’ve been, it’s just great.”
Farber, 39, was also excited to have Cruel intentions star returned for a visit, sharing, “It was amazing to be back in an actual building and just her energy is so beautiful and it was great to see her in the studio.”
He adds: “She watched the dance, loved it and gave really positive feedback.”
Selma Blair quit the 31st season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ due to concerns about MS: ‘I can’t go on’
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(742x155:744x157)/Selma-Blair-Alyson-Hannigan-101823-tout-274b56da874a46ffa2244e0cc0aae7bd.jpg)
VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty; Slaven Vlašić/Getty
During their pre-show package, Blair, 51, looked equally delighted to be back, sharing: “I can’t stop laughing to be back here in Dancing with the stars studio.”
“Alyson’s spirit is so great. She is a true professional. I mean, I think this is her time,” she added.
After the performance, judge Carrie Ann Inaba praised Hannigan for being “so animated” but noted that she can sometimes “lose the musicality” because of it. She added: “Some movements were a little limited.”
Derek Hough said it was “lacking a bit of substance” but Buffy the alum made up for it with her personality and charm. Bruno Tonioli echoed their sentiments, urging her to “set the steps to music”.
Selma Blair ‘DWTS’ Costars Reveal ‘Unadulterated Shock’ at Her Coming Out: ‘She Lights Up This Competition’
Back in October 2022, Blair — who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 — announced her decision to quit DWTS to take care of his body.
“You know I have been monitored and in contact with my doctors throughout this process,” she said at the time. “I had those MRIs and when the results came back, it all added up to I can’t. I can’t. I can’t continue to compete. I pushed as hard as I could.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(688x0:690x2)/selma-blair-sasha-farber-dancing-with-the-stars-092722-2000-fefafab8b4c94c6891b0dd493ccfef8a.jpg)
Selma Blair and Sasha Farber in ‘Dancing with the Stars’. ABC/Christopher Willard
“With a chronic illness, you have to think differently and my body definitely takes a hit,” she added. “It’s too much for the safety of my bones. There’s just intense bone trauma and inflammation among the tears and tears so I could do a lot of damage, and of course I don’t want that.”
After Blair’s decision, Farber called her “my champion” despite her early departure.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Dancing with the stars airs Tuesdays at 8pm ET on ABC and Disney+.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education