Christina Applegate says living with MS is 'like hell'

She bravely opens up

The beloved actress is speaking candidly about the hardest aspects of living with her diagnosis. Here’s what she says.

Once one of Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses, Christina Applegate has spent the past few years battling Multiple Sclerosis, a chronic disease that has significantly impaired her mobility and quality of life.

First diagnosed with MS in mid-2021, Applegate has spoken out briefly about her experience with the disease on several occasions. 

Now, in her first sit-down interview since her diagnosis, Applegate and fellow actress and MS battler Jamie-Lynn Sigler open up on Good Morning America about what it’s really like living with the debilitating disease. 

“I live kind of in hell,” the ‘Dead To Me’ actress explains to GMA host Robin Roberts. “I’m not out a lot, so this is a little difficult, just for my system. But of course, the support is wonderful and I’m really grateful.”

Acknowledging the fact that living with this disease will be a lifelong struggle, Applegate explains her current coping technique has kept her extremely isolated. 

“I’m never going to wake up and go, ‘This is awesome.’ I’m just going to tell you that. Like, it’s not going to happen,” she says. “I wake up and I’m reminded of it every day. But I might get to a place where I function a little bit better. Right now I’m isolating, and that’s kind of how I’m dealing with it is by not going anywhere because I don’t want to do it. It’s hard.”

The full interview, due to air sometime today, is expected to dive deeper into Applegate and Sigler’s ongoing experience with MS (Sigler was diagnosed with the autoimmune illness at just 20 years old).

The interview comes just months after Applegate’s surprise appearance at the Emmy Awards, joining host Anthony Anderson onstage to present the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. 

Addressing the outpouring of support and standing ovation she received, Applegate was visibly taken aback on the night, thanking the audience for their applause. 

On the same night, Applegate received a nod for her work on season three of Dead To Me, nominated for the Outstanding Supporting Actress award. 

Diagnosed with MS during the filming of the show, production was delayed while the actress battled symptoms and received medical care. The third and final season of the highly acclaimed Netflix series is likely to be Applegate's last work as an actress on screen, as she revealed in May 2023. 

While her on-screen career may be put aside as she battles with the disease’s debilitating effect on her mobility, Applegate is not ready to say goodbye to the industry as a whole, sharing plans to explore more behind-the-scenes roles. 

“I can do voiceover stuff because I have to support my family and keep my brain working,” she shares.

Originally published as Christina Applegate says living with MS is 'like hell'