David Faustino on Christina Applegate's Health: She 'Wants to Get a Little Stronger' (Exclusive)

The actress was diagnosed with MS in August 2021 while filming the third and final season of 'Dead to Me'

David Faustino says Christina Applegate is working on building up her strength amid her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis.

The Married with Children alum, 49, chatted with PEOPLE at the 30th annual Race to Erase MS gala on Saturday, where he offered an explanation as to why his former costar was not in attendance at the event.

“She's not ready to be here tonight,” Faustino said. “I'm just here to offer her as much support and love for her as I can.”

“I think she just wants to get a little stronger,” he added. “I'm thinking she'll be here next year. She was on the fence, but she just said, ‘I'm just not feeling up to it right now.’ ”

Related: Christina Applegate Says She's 'Probably Not Going to Work On-Camera Again' After MS Diagnosis

MS is a disease that affects the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord — and can cause problems with muscle control and strength, vision, balance, feeling and thinking. Symptoms include numbness, tremor or lack of coordination.

It differs in each case, with some people going through life with only minor problems, while others becoming seriously disabled.

Related: Christina Applegate Uses Cane with the Letters 'FU MS' at SAG Awards amid Battle with Multiple Sclerosis

Applegate, 51, was diagnosed with the neurological disease in August 2021 while filming the third and final season of her Netflix series Dead to Me.

When asked how he found out about Applegate’s diagnosis, Faustion told PEOPLE, “She reached out to all of us,” referring to the cast of Married with Children, which ran from 1987 to 1997.

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While discussing the impact MS has on her everyday life in an interview with Vanity Fair published in May, Applegate said, “I'm probably not going to work on-camera again."

Though the actress suggested that a chapter in her decades-long acting career has come to an end, Faustino told PEOPLE that “she can do the animated version” of a Married with Children reboot.

When asked if the Bad Moms star is interested in starring in the planned series, Faustino responded, “Oh, yeah. The whole cast [has talked about it]." He added that they “love to text each other.”

“We already are all signed on. It's just a matter of the studio making the deal,” the star told PEOPLE.

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