Christina Applegate Says MS Is the “Worst Thing” That’s Ever Happened to Her
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Christina Applegate is no longer holding back about what it’s really like to live with multiple sclerosis.
The actor recently appeared on Dax Shepard’s podcast, Armchair Expert, to talk about her MS symptoms and how she copes with the disease.
“I have 30 lesions on my brain—like, herpes sores, basically—so, sores all over my brain. My biggest one is behind my right eye, so my right eye hurts a lot,” Applegate said. “My hand starts to go weird and then I’ll get a seizure-y feeling sometimes in my brain, not all the time.”
Applegate, who was diagnosed with MS in 2021, talked about using humor as a coping mechanism to deal with the painful symptoms. “I make these jokes because if I don’t, I’ll suffocate. I’ll be done,” she said. “I’m not ready for the healing yet. I will get there. When someone says, ‘Have you accepted this as your new normal?’ No, fuck you, absolutely not.”
She doesn’t want to sugarcoat the realities of dealing with MS. “It’s the worst tattoo. It sucks. I’m not gonna sit here and … some people go, ‘Oh my God, cancer’s the best thing that happened to me!’ And I’m like, ‘Uhh, then you had a pretty shitty life,’ ” Applegate continued. “This is the worst thing that’s happened to me in my entire life. I hate it so much. I’m so mad about it.”
The Dead to Me star opened up about how her approach to talking about her MS has evolved since she went public with her breast cancer battle in 2008.
“When I had breast cancer at 36 years old, I went out and I was the good girl talking about, ‘Oh, I love my new boobs!’ That are all scarred and f**ked up. What was I thinking?” she said. “My first interview was with Robin Roberts when I had cancer and I’m sitting there lying my a** off about how I felt.”
After the interview, she recalled, “I fell into the wall and sobbed because it was a lie. Everything I was saying was a freaking lie. It was me trying to convince myself of something, and I think that did no service to anyone.”
Applegate regrets not being more honest about her emotional recovery after undergoing a double mastectomy. “Yes, I started a foundation right away. Yes, I did all the things I had to do. And we raised millions of dollars for women to get MRIs who were at risk. Yes, we did a good thing, but at the back of it, I was taking off my bra and crying every night, and I wish that I had said that,” she continued. “I didn’t like my boobies. I still don’t like my boobies. It’s horrible. I don’t have nipples. It’s weird.”
You Might Also Like
