and her service dog, Scout, make the paw-fect pair.
“He was a gift to myself,” Blair, 52, exclusively tells Us Weekly in her July cover story.
Scout, a 4-year-old golden retriever, first came into Blair’s life nearly two years ago when she struggled to leave the house regularly. (The Cruel Intentions star was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018.)
“He was a lot for companionship and a lot for mobility,” Blair tells Us. “He reminds me to take my medicine and he helps me get going. I love him dearly — and so does everybody else!”
Scout, who joined Blair at her Us cover shoot with iconic photographer, has frequently accompanied the actress out and about. Blair often brings the pup to red carpets and even during her 2022 rehearsals for Dancing With the Stars season 31.
Scout has been Blair’s dutiful companion since December 2021, when they completed training.
“It has been a year and a half in the making, but today my new partner, Scout, and I graduated! We are now a service dog team. Thank you to his trainer Courtney and the whole team at @servicedogs_ddg Scout helps me with some personal stumbling blocks and aids in my mobility,” Blair wrote via Instagram at the time. “He is an English red fox lab and is very good at his job. He is very handsome, and friendly, but if you see me and Scout, and we are working (which he really always is, as am I) then give a smile but please don’t approach.”
She continued, “Distractions really set me back. I am building stamina and coordination with the aid of this special dog and training! I am excited for this time to focus and settle and get out of the house more. I am so happy to have him. And will share news with you as we evolve. If you see me down, do not worry, Scout has me covered.”
Blair has been in remission from MS since 2021.
“I’ll get MRIs a couple times a year and I still do treatments,” she tells Us of her health journey. “I know a lot of people can’t afford it, but for me, [it] really alleviated the MS progression incredibly. It saved my life.”
Scout is far from the only support that Blair has in her corner amid her MS journey.
“I have a very tiny group of people,” she says. “One of them is . She’s my best friend. She’s profoundly lovely and I’ll always look to her as an inspiration. She’s someone who gets up over and over again, too.”
Blair also credits 12-year-old son Arthur, whom she shares with ex , with “[saving her] life.”
Read more in this week’s relaunch issue of the brand-new Us Weekly, featuring 12 additional pages, a redesigned look and new franchises you’ll love — on newsstands now.
