Selma Blair "experienced a medical emergency" before being arrested on October 11.

The 54-year-old actress was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, before being taken to a hospital following an alleged altercation with cabin crew members - but a spokesperson has now clarified what happened.

In a statement shared with People, the spokesperson explained: "Since Sunday night, the public account of what happened to Selma aboard a flight to New York has been built almost entirely on a police statement and a decade-old headline."

The actress recently appeared in court to plead not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, before being released on bail.

The spokesperson explained that "speculation has hardened into something being treated as fact".

They added: "We can, however, correct the record on a few points already in public circulation. Selma Blair experienced a medical emergency on the flight. There was no attempt to open the door of the aircraft. Selma did not intend to harm anyone."

In 2018, Selma confirmed that she'd been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.

Speaking about the recent incident in New York, the spokesperson said: "The suggestion by anyone that Selma does not have multiple sclerosis is outrageous. Her diagnosis has been public since 2018. What Selma has been able to do physically in the years since is nothing short of a miracle.

"She still has bad days, and she lives with pain daily. Selma also has pseudobulbar affect, a neurological condition secondary to her MS, which bears directly on how a medical episode presents to people who do not know her.

"For the same reason, she travels with a service dog who doesn't leave her side, and the authorities took her dog from her."

The Hollywood star remains a "visible and relentless advocate for disability rights, for the MS community, and this year for the Jewish community in the face of rising antisemitism, including from the stage of the ADL's State of the Arts event at The Jewish Museum two weeks ago. Selma had never been arrested before Sunday night."

The spokesperson added that there is "much more to this story than has been reported, and we ask to consider the entirety of the facts before rushing to judgment, whether in the courtroom or in the court of public opinion".