Christina Applegate is opening up about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. During an interview on Good Morning America with fellow multiple sclerosis survivor Jamie Lynn Sigler, the actor tearfully recalled how she found herself in 2021 has multiple sclerosis and thanks one of her celebrity friends for getting her tested.
As she told host Robin Roberts, her condition was discovered after she was unable to walk unaided while filming the final season of Netflix series Dead to Me.
"My symptoms started in early 2021 and it felt like tingling in my toes," she said. "When we started filming that same summer, I was brought to the set in a wheelchair. Like, I couldn't walk that far."
Her friend and "The Sweetest Thing" co-star Selma Blair, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, was also aware of the symptoms. "She said, 'You need to get tested for multiple sclerosis,' and I said, 'No,'" Applegate recalled. "I said, 'Really? Odds? The two of us are in the same movie? Come on... that's not going to happen. She knew. It could have been a lot worse without her."
Looking back, Applegate believes she likely experienced MS symptoms for years before her diagnosis, saying there were times when her legs would lose feeling from underneath her. "I really just put it off because I'm tired, or I'm dehydrated, or it's the weather," she said. "Then nothing happened for maybe a few months and I didn't pay attention."
Applegate has largely retired from acting since her diagnosis. In February 2023, she told Vanity Fair that she "probably won't be in front of the camera again."
Having said that, she didn't stop working. She and Sigler are launching a new podcast, MeSsy , On March 19, they said it felt like "eavesdropping" on an intimate conversation about multiple sclerosis. Applegate hopes the podcast will resonate with people going through similar experiences. She has also appeared at award shows, earning a standing ovation when she spoke at the Emmys in January.
"I've played the role of Christina for 40 years, and I want everyone to think that's who I am because it's easier," she said. "But this was my coming out party. Like, this is who I've always been. For so long, I've been performing a little act for everyone because I just thought it was easier - relaxed, fun, don't It makes people uncomfortable. I don’t care anymore.”
