Christina Applegate Says She's Living 'In Hell' Amid MS Diagnosis

Sammi Burke
·2 min read
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WESTWOOD, CA - JULY 26: Actress Christina Applegate arrives at the premiere of STX Entertainment's "Bad Moms" at Mann Village Theatre on July 26, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage)

Christina Applegate is opening up in depth about living with Multiple Sclerosis for the first time.

The Dead to Me star sat down with Sopranos alum Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who was diagnosed with the same disease over twenty years ago—at just twenty years old—to chat with Robin Roberts, and in a preview of the interview shared on social media by Good Morning America, the former Married... With Children actress, who was diagnosed just three years ago, compared it to living in a "kind of...hell."

Even just joining Roberts, she said, was "a little difficult...for [her] system," seeing as she's "not out a lot." So, on the rare occasions she does make a public appearance—such as presenting at the Emmys earlier this year, where she received a standing ovation—she really feels the love from her fans.

"...the support is wonderful, and I'm really grateful," she confirmed, looking back on the moment she stepped on stage to announce the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy.

While she felt "beloved" by the audience's response to her appearance, she said she was so overwhelmed in the moment, she "actually kind of blacked out."

"People said, 'Oh, you were so funny,' and I'm like, I don't even know what I said. I don't know what I was doing," she explained. "I got so freaked out that I didn't even know what was happening anymore."

The actress has previously opened up here and there about life with the neurodegenerative disease, which impacts several of her daily tasks.

For example, "you can fall, you can slip, your legs can buckle" when you take a shower, making the task "frightening" to tackle. "Going down the stairs [and] carrying things" are also movements that she can't really handle anymore.

There are "certain things that people take for granted in their lives," she said, "that [she] took for granted," too.

The full interview with the trio of women is scheduled to air on Good Morning America on Tuesday, March 12.

Next: Inside Christina Applegate’s Battle with Multiple Sclerosis, and How Her Life Has Changed Since Her Diagnosis