When Christina Applegate Opened Up About the Moment She Realized the Symptoms of MS: "Never a Good Day"

Christina Applegate's life has been quite challenging since she was diagnosed with MS. In 2022, the actress spoke up about the difficulty of living with multiple sclerosis, as well as the symptoms of the disorder, like numbness and tingling in her limbs, that appeared years before her formal diagnosis. "I wish I had paid attention," she said per CBS News, adding, "But who was I to know?"

Before obtaining an official diagnosis while on the set of her Netflix series Dead to Me, Applegate recalled feeling unsteady while filming and having trouble during a tennis play. As she started therapy for her condition, production ceased for over five months. "There was the sense of, 'Well, let's get her some medicine so she can get better,'" the actress said. "And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me."

Almost one million persons in the US have MS, which may be severely debilitating. Numbness or weakness in the limbs, tremors, or electric shock sensations when moving the neck are possible symptoms. Additionally, MS can lead to tiredness and dizziness, impair speech and vision, and, in certain situations, like Applegate's, impede a person's overall movement.

"I put on 40 pounds; I can't walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that," said Applegate. Even though it was unclear if the Netflix series would be able to continue production, Applegate persisted. 

The condition has no recognized treatment. The Mayo Clinic reports that some treatments could speed up the healing process after attacks. Applegate spoke to Vanity Fair weeks after filming the final episode of the Netflix series and shared the debilitating effects of the disorder. “With the disease of MS, it’s never a good day,” she told the outlet. “You just have little s----y days. People are like, ‘Well, why don’t you take more showers?’ Well, because getting in the shower is frightening. You can fall, you can slip, your legs can buckle. Especially because I have a glass shower. It’s frightening to me to get in there,” the Dead to Me actress opened up about the challenges of the disorder.

“There are just certain things that people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted. Going down the stairs, carrying things — you can’t do that anymore. It f------ sucks. I can still drive my car short distances. I can bring food to my kid. Up, never down,” she revealed.

Despite people's best efforts, Applegate claimed, they are unable to understand what she is going through. She has intimated that Dead to Me could be her final part. “Everyone’s like, ‘Why don’t you see if this works? Why don’t you go do this?’ And I’m like, because I’d rather just lie in my bed and be alone and watch TV, to be honest with everybody,” she said. "Why don’t you get up and exercise? Why don’t you get on the treadmill for five minutes?" Applegate continued. “It’s like, why don’t you f--- off? I’d rather just lie here and cry or do whatever I need to do right now to process this.”

Editor's note: This article was originally published on January 19, 2024. It has since been updated.