The actress said that in hindsight, her symptoms started arising while filming the pilot for Netflix’s Dead to Me
Actress Christina Applegate has revealed that she overlooked an early symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) while filming her hit Netflix series.
The 53-year-old, from Los Angeles, was diagnosed with the incurable condition in 2021 but believes that signs of it had began emerging at least two years earlier.
She has openly discussed her health journey since disclosing her diagnosis with fans and has previously revealed how MS impacted filming for the show Dead to Me.
Applegate starred alongside Linda Cardellini in the comedic series which revolves around two grieving women who strike up a friendship in therapy.
It became an instant success upon its release in May 2019 and Netflix went on to renew it for a second and third season.
But the final instalment of Dead to Me was nearly derailed after Applegate’s condition began to take its toll on her, resulting in production being paused.
However, the actress insisted on finishing the show despite her health struggles, prompting producers to make some adjustments to the plot to accommodate her.
Now, Applegate has revealed what early MS symptoms she dismissed while reflecting on the last few years of her life during an episode of her MeSsy podcast.
Discussing her journey with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman, the Bad Moms star said problems began arising while shooting the first ever episode of the Netflix show.
Christina Applegate starred alongside Linda Cardellini in hit Netflix series Dead to Me (Netflix)
Applegate explained that she suddenly stumbled to the ground on set – which was likely the first ever indicator of her MS.
According to the NHS, the condition affects the brain and spinal cord while causing a range of symptoms.
These include fatigue, dizziness, feeling uncoordinated, muscle cramps, spasms and stiffness and problems with memory or concentration.
While anyone can suffer from it, you might be more likely to get MS if you’re a woman, you’re aged 20 to 50, you have a close relative with it, you smoke or you’ve had the Epstein-Barr virus.
“I remember falling that day,” Applegate said. “Hi, first sign of MS! So, not to bring everybody down, but there it was.”
Feldman added that she had also picked up on the Anchorman actress’ physical struggles while filming the pilot, but thought it was due to long days on set.
The producer said: “I remember you losing your balance when we were shooting the pilot a couple of times.
“It was very hard to figure it out because, you know, I remember one time, it was really late at night.
“We’d been shooting probably 14 or 15 hours…it seemed completely reasonable that anybody would be collapsing.”
The actress reckons her first symptoms of MS began to emerge when she was shooting the pilot (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Feldman then praised her pal’s strength over the last few years and applauded Applegate for how she navigated the situation.
“There’s no handbook for this,” Feldman said. “I could just sense that A, she was scared and B, that something was wrong, something in her body was not working the way that she wanted it to.
“I told her so many times that it’s just a TV show; we’re making a TV show and it’s so silly, you know, at the end of the day.
“I knew Christina well enough to know that something major had to be going on because she’s an extreme professional.”
Applegate then thanked Feldman and the Dead to Me crew for being so adaptable and kind towards her amid her health struggles.
She added: “That would not happen anywhere else, so my gratitude towards you guys being humans – because you should be humans and love other humans – is astounding.
“I can’t even tell you…that’s not the normal reaction.”Featured Image Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SiriusXM/Netflix
Topics: Christina Applegate, Health, Netflix, TV and Film, Celebrity
Olivia Burke
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Updated 22:38 4 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 08:04 5 Jun 2024 GMT+1
‘Scared’ Christina Applegate admits she ‘doesn’t enjoy living’ as she gives distressing insight into MS diagnosis
The actress was diagnosed with the chronic disease back in 2021
Christina Applegate has opened up on life after being diagnosed with MS, revealing she is struggling with ‘fatalistic’ depression.
The Married… with Children actress, 52, was diagnosed with the multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2021 and has since been open on adapting to life with the chronic disease.
According to the NHS, MS is an illness which impacts the brain and spinal chord which can cause a wide range of symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
There are currently no known cures for MS, however there are treatments available which can manage the illness and its symptoms. Average life expectancy is also reduced for people with MS.
Opening up on how being diagnosed with the illness has impacted her mental health on her podcast MeSsy, which she shares with friend Jamie Lynn-Sigler – who also has MS – Applegate revealed she has been in a ‘real, f**k it all’ depression.
“This is being really honest…I don’t enjoy living. I don’t enjoy it. I don’t enjoy things anymore,” the actress admitted.
She continued: “If someone can come over and lay in bed with me and talk, like you have and like a girlfriend of mine did the other day… that’s enjoyable. I enjoy that.
“But if someone’s like, ‘let’s get up and go for a walk’ or ‘let’s go get a coffee’, I’m like, I don’t enjoy that process.”
Applegate went on to explain how having MS has left her struggling with depression, adding: “I’m in a depression right now.
“Like, real depression, where it’s kind of scaring me too a little bit because it feels really fatalistic. It feels really ‘end of’, you know not saying that, I don’t mean that, I just mean like I’m trapped in like this darkness right now that I haven’t felt like that in I don’t even know how long, probably 20 something years.”
Applegate received her diagnosis in 2021. (Gilbert Flores/Variety/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Sopranos actress Sigler – who was diagnosed with MS at age 20 – tried to comfort the actress, urging her not to compare her life to how it was before the diagnosis.
“It’s so hard to live in a disabled body. It is so hard. I will not take that away from you and I am right there with you,” she replied.
Sigler went on to acknowledge that its hard not to make comparisons, but finding acceptance will take some of the ‘suffering’ away.
“But what makes it harder is when you compare it to how it used to be. I mean I still do it all the time, but in the moments where I have just a little more acceptance.. it takes a little bit of the suffering out of it,” she added.
The actress revealed MS has left her with 30 lesions on her brain. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Applegate also reflected on her appearance at the 2023 Emmys, where she presented the award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ in Comedy – where she received a standing ovation from the crowd.
She revealed to Sigler that it was the ‘the hardest day of my life’ due to the physical demands of the event.
“I think I slept for two days straight. I couldn’t function,” she added.Featured Image Credit: (Gilbert Flores/Variety/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Topics: Health, TV and Film, Christina Applegate
Brenna Cooper
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Updated 22:36 4 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 12:00 16 Jan 2024 GMT
Early MS warning signs as Christina Applegate addresses her condition at Emmys
Christina Applegate addressed her MS disability at last night’s Emmy Awards.
After Christina Applegate made a joke about her health condition at the Emmys, it’s important to keep a look out for any early symptoms.
The Dead To Me actor was clearly overwhelmed when she took to the stage with a cane to present the first Emmy Award at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, last night (15 January)
The 52-year-old – who is known for her roles in Married…With Children and Samantha Who? – was accompanied by host Anthony Anderson to present the first award of the night – ‘Supporting Actress in a Comedy’ – which went to Ayo Edebiri for The Bear.
FOX
When the audience got up out their seats to cheer, the actor joked that, by standing up, the crowd was making fun of her multiple sclerosis (MS) disability.
She said: “Thank you so much,” before joking: “Oh my god, you’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up. It’s fine.”
In an interview last year, Applegate opened up about her battle with MS and said: “It’s never a good day.”
She told Good Morning America: “You can fall, you can slip, your legs can buckle,” she said. “There are just certain things that people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted. Going down the stairs, carrying things — you can’t do that anymore.”
FOX
Now, according to the NHS: “Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
“It’s a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability, although it can occasionally be mild.
“In many cases, it’s possible to treat symptoms. Average life expectancy is slightly reduced for people with MS.
“It’s most commonly diagnosed in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s although it can develop at any age.
“It’s about 2 to 3 times more common in women than men. MS is one of the most common causes of disability in younger adults.”
Dr. Paige Sutton, a neurologist specialising in neuroimmunology and multiple sclerosis for OhioHealth, has since revealed the warning signs to look out for.
Amy Sussman/WireImage
“In people who have multiple sclerosis, it is most important to look for signs of a new inflammatory relapse,” she told Healthline.
“Relapses are typically very obvious and would include new neurologic symptoms that are constant and last for more than 24 hours.
“Symptoms could include loss of vision/blurry vision in one eye, unilateral facial pain or numbness, vertigo, new weakness or sensory changes on one side or in both legs, or with walking.”
The doctor said if a ‘pseudo-relapse’ – when symptoms worsen – takes place, patients should ‘notify their health provider for any new symptoms’.Featured Image Credit: Amy Sussman/WireImage/FOX
Topics: Celebrity, Health, TV and Film, Christina Applegate
Anish Vij
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Updated 22:36 4 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 14:45 11 Apr 2024 GMT+1
Christina Applegate opens up on heartbreak of feeling like a ‘burden’ amid health diagnosis
The Dead to Me actor also spoke of experiencing a ‘superpower’ of some kind while on holiday
Christina Applegate has opened up about her ongoing battle with multiple sclerosis and how she sometimes feels like a ‘burden’ to her loved ones.
The Dead to Me star, 52, publicly revealed her MS diagnosis in 2021 and has been open about her health in the years since.
According to the NHS, MS affects the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement and balance. It is a lifelong condition that cannot be cured.
In a new episode of her MeSsy podcast, which she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Christina revealed how her health struggles sometimes make her feel like a ‘burden’ to her daughter Sadie, 13.
The mum-of-one, who shares Sadie with husband Martyn LeNoble, spoke about a recent family trip to the Netherlands and how she began wondering if things would be ‘easier’ for everyone if she ‘wasn’t here’.
“I’ve often thought it would be easier on everyone if I wasn’t here, you know? That’s a thought,” Christina told her co-host Jamie-Lynn.
Christina Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021. (Steve Granitz/WireImage)
“Like, wouldn’t it be so much easier and not a burden on my daughter who was on vacation and watching her mom sleep all day?” she heartbreakingly said.
Christina said she even struggles to sit through a film with her daughter as her ‘legs hurt too much’ due to her health condition.
The star added: “Just things like that. I think, ‘What is this doing to her?’ And that’s where my heart breaks constantly.”
However, Christina’s trip to the Netherlands proved to have positives for her, as she spoke of experiencing a ‘superpower’ of some kind while away.
She revealed she was able to walk 9,000 steps without her cane, despite usually only averaging around 2,000 per day.
Christina is mum to 13-year-old Sadie. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The increase in movement took its toll though, with Christina saying she slept for hours afterwards and her body felt like it was shutting down.
The actor said her daughter came to check on her while she was asleep and ‘kissed her forehead’ in a sweet moment, prompting her to ‘begin crying’ after Sadie left.
Christina said she became emotional after realising her daughter was missing her, and she wasn’t there ‘to make her dinner or anything’.
Christina revealed her MS diagnosis on X (Twitter) back in 2021, writing: “It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition.”Featured Image Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage John Shearer/Getty Images for ABA
Topics: Celebrity News, Health, Christina Applegate
Danni King
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Updated 22:37 4 Jul 2024 GMT+1Published 07:30 16 Jan 2024 GMT
Christina Applegate makes joke about the irony of her condition after getting standing ovation at Emmys
Christina Applegate appeared overwhelmed when she took to the Emmy stage.
An overwhelmed Christina Applegate made a joke about the irony of her health condition after getting a standing ovation at the 75th Emmy Awards.
Watch below:
The Dead To Me actor was reduced to tears as she took to the stage with a cane to present the first Emmy Award at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
The annual ceremony was pushed back from September due to the US actors’ and writers’ strikes.
Applegate – who is known for her roles in Married…With Children and Samantha Who? – took to the stage alongside host Anthony Anderson to present the first award of the night, ‘Supporting Actress in a Comedy’, which went to Ayo Edebiri for The Bear.
After the audience got up off their seats to cheer, the 52-year-old joked that by standing up, the crowd was making fun of her multiple sclerosis disability.
FOX
She said: “Thank you so much,” before joking: “Oh my god, you’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up. It’s fine.
“Body not by Ozempic. Okay, let’s go. Some of you may know me as Kelly Bundy from Married… With Children or Samantha from Samantha Who? or Jen Harding from Dead To Me.
“Very few of you probably know me from that debut – I’m going to cry, more than I’ve been crying. Baby Burt Grizzell on Days of Our Lives. It was my breakout role.
“And for all these years, it’s look at that. Been an honour to play funny, flawed, complex characters like the women nominated for supporting actress in a comedy series.”
As the crowd applauded, the actor said: “We don’t have to applaud every time I do something.”
FOX
In 2021, Applegate revealed that she had been diagnosed with MS, writing on X (formerly Twitter): “It’s been a strange journey.
“But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition.”
Adding: “It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a**hole blocks it.”
According to the NHS: “Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
“It’s a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability, although it can occasionally be mild.
“In many cases, it’s possible to treat symptoms. Average life expectancy is slightly reduced for people with MS.
“It’s most commonly diagnosed in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s although it can develop at any age.
“It’s about 2 to 3 times more common in women than men. MS is one of the most common causes of disability in younger adults.”
The main symptoms include: