Christina Applegate has shared another brutally honest update about her debilitating battle with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The 53-year-old was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, which damages the central nervous system and attacks the protective coating around nerve fibers, in early 2021.
Appearing on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend on Tuesday, Christina became emotional as she admitted that the disease has left her life unrecognizable and a daily struggle.
“I don’t really leave the house anymore,” she said. “If people saw what my life was like on the daily, they wouldn’t be able to do it. Because I can sometimes not do it. It’s really, really hard.
© Getty Images“The first thing that I hear from people is how did you get it? Meaning I must have done something wrong in my life to have this disease, I did it to myself. It’s like I had breast cancer as well so, oh you must have done something.”
She continued: “That stigma, I’m used to it now but it was so hard to swallow for a while because why the [expletive] would you think that I would do something to have this, because this is the worst thing I’ve ever had in my life.
“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever gone through.”
© Getty ImagesMS symptoms
Recalling her symptoms, Christina explained: “Eventually over months it went from my toes to my ankles to from my knees down. Selma Blair said can you please go to the neurogolist and I was like there’s no way that both of us from the same movie have MS.”
Christina added: “I was losing balance, but the pain was extraordinary. And when I say numb, it’s numb, but it hurts.”
On an episode of her MeSsy podcast in November, Christina shared the raw realities of living with the chronic disease with her co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who also has MS.
© Getty Images“I lie in bed screaming,” Christina revealed, describing the intense, sharp pains that plague her on a daily basis. “The ache, the squeezing – it’s like a vice grip that just won’t let go.”
For Christina, simple tasks that once seemed effortless have become daily challenges. “I can’t even pick up my phone sometimes,” she shared.
© Getty Images“The MS has traveled into my hands, and now I’ll go to grab my phone or the remote and sometimes I can’t even hold them.”
In one poignant moment, Christina revealed the depth of her daily struggles, joking about staying in bed all day and even resorting to diapers when the journey to the bathroom feels insurmountable.
© Getty Images“I don’t actually lie here in a diaper – that’s a joke – but sometimes it feels like that’s the only option,” she quipped, adding levity to an otherwise heavy conversation. “It’s just so incredibly painful, awkward, and isolating.”
As her health has continued to decline, the actress made the difficult decision to step back from her career. In 2022, she announced that Dead to Me would likely be her last acting role, a bittersweet moment for her many fans around the world.
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