Christina Applegate told the Los Angeles Times that she fears her new diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) may keep her from acting again. But it doesn’t mean she’ll abandon her art entirely. The Emmy winner announced her MS diagnosis in August 2021 and remained out of the spotlight until her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in November 2022.
“Right now, I couldn’t imagine getting up at 5 a.m. and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set,” Applegate said. “I don’t have that in me at this moment.”
Alternatively, Applegate envisions her next steps in Hollywood to involve producing, developing and “doing a shit ton of voiceovers to make some cash to make sure that my daughter’s fed and we’re homed.” Sadie Grace LeNoble, her daughter with musician Martyn LeNoble, is 12 years old.
According to the US National Institutes of Health, MS is a neurological illness with diverse symptoms that frequently affects vision, speech, and mobility (NIH). According to the site, it can also cause cognitive difficulties such as difficulty with attention, memory, and concentration.
The “Married…With Children” star recently recalled filming the final season of her hit Netflix show “Dead To Me”, an experience she said was “torture” as she was managing symptoms like loss of balance, fatigue, and a tingling sensation in her limbs.
“I was a wreck every day, but most of that wreck would take place in my trailer by myself,” Applegate recalled for Los Angeles Times reporter Lisa Rosen.”But there were times I’d break down on set and be like, ‘I can’t, we have to take a break, I need a half-hour,’ and everyone was so loving that it was OK.”
Applegate thanked her co-star Linda Cardellini for being an important part of her support system on set.
Applegate praised her co-star Linda Cardellini for being a vital member of her support system on set. On the show about friendship and bereavement, Cardellini played Jen Harding’s best friend Judy Hale, played by Applegate. Off-screen, their relationship, according to Applegate, was comparable to that of their characters.
“She literally pulled me under her wing and protected me, and took care of me every single day,” Applegate said of her friend. “Linda was taking care of me as I was saying goodbye to the person that I’d always known — so part of me was dying.”
Applegate told the L.A. Times that it took her months before she could watch the final season of the show.
“I don’t like seeing myself struggling,” Applegate said. “Also, I gained 40 pounds because of inactivity and medications, and I didn’t look like myself, and I didn’t feel like myself. At some point I was able to distance myself from my own ego, and realize what a beautiful piece of television it was. All the scenes I wasn’t in were so much fun to see and experience for the very first time.”
