Christina Applegate has spoken candidly about her daily battles with multiple sclerosis and the importance of being honest with herself about how she copes with the chronic disease.
The actress was diagnosed with the disease in 2021 after she noticed tingling in her toes during the filming of the final season of the Netflix series "Dead To Me." However, the 52-year-old star said she had been experiencing symptoms of MS for six or seven years before that.
Highlights
- Christina Applegate revealed she has 30 lesions on her brain, which make her right eye hurt.
- The actress struggles with multiple sclerosis, diagnosed after she noticed tingling in her toes during "Dead To Me" filming.
- Contrary to her breast cancer diagnosis, Christina opts for an honest portrayal of her MS struggles over projecting toughness.
In a new episode of Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, Christina opened up about her struggles with the disease.
"This is the worst thing that's happened to me in my entire life," she said on Monday (March 25).
Image credits: Gilbert Flores/ Getty Images
"I have 30 lesions on my brain. My biggest one is behind my right eye, so my right eye hurts a lot."
"It sucks," the "Married…with Children" actress admitted. "I hate it so much. I'm so mad about it."
Christina explained that, sometimes, her "hand starts to go weird," and she'll get "a seizure-y feeling" in her brain.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.
The disease affects people differently, with most patients having short periods of symptoms followed by long stretches of relative quiescence (inactivity or dormancy), with partial or full recovery, according to the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH).
The "Dead To Me" actress revealed she has 30 lesions on her brain and sometimes gets a "seizure-y feeling"
Image credits: Good Morning America
The condition affects women more than men and is most commonly diagnosed between ages 20 and 40, although it can develop at any age.
The main symptoms include fatigue, difficulty walking, vision problems, problems controlling the bladder, or problems with balance.
During a previous interview on "Good Morning America," the "Sweetest Thing" star compared MS to "living in hell."
Unlike her reaction to being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, Christina is no longer interested in projecting an image of toughness and endurance.
"I learned that lesson the hard way because in 2008 when I had breast cancer at 36 years old, I went out, and I was the good girl talking about 'Oh, I love my new boobs that are all scarred and f*** up.' What was I thinking?" she said on the podcast.
"My first interview was with Robin Roberts when I had cancer, and I'm sitting there lying my a** off about how I felt," the Emmy winner recalled before adding that she burst into tears as soon as the cameras turned off.
"Everything I was saying was a freaking lie. It was me trying to convince myself of something, and I think that did no service to anyone."
"This is the worst thing that's happened to me in my entire life," Christina said
Image credits: Good Morning America
While she was involved in supporting other women fighting breast cancer, the actress wasn't entirely genuine about her own struggles.
"Yes, I started a foundation right away. Yes, I did all the things that I had to do, and we raised millions of dollars for women to get MRIs who were at high risk.
"Yes, we did a good thing. But at the back of it, I was taking off my bra and crying every night. And I wish that I had said that."
Now, Christina doesn't shy away from talking about her pain, but that doesn't mean she has lost her sense of humor. During the interview, she tried to remain optimistic as she listed the "benefits" of the degenerative disease.
"There are some benefits to MS. First of all, parking is awesome," she said.
"And wheelchair seating–awesome. Pre-board–awesome. Wheelchair through the entire airport..."
"You live with this for the rest of your life. And either you're gonna die from it or you're gonna die in a car crash."
People hoped that Christina's MS symptoms would not get worse
