Christina Applegate Opens Up About Daily Life with Multiple Sclerosis
Christina Applegate has provided a candid look into her daily existence while battling multiple sclerosis, revealing that she spends the majority of each day confined to her bed due to debilitating chronic pain. The Emmy-winning actress, who received her MS diagnosis in 2021, spoke openly about her condition in a recent interview with People magazine, published ahead of the release of her upcoming memoir titled You With The Sad Eyes.
A Devastating Autoimmune Condition
Multiple sclerosis is an incurable autoimmune disease that directly affects the brain and spinal cord, leading to a wide range of debilitating symptoms. For Applegate, now 54, the condition manifests through severe pain that makes basic movement extraordinarily difficult. She described how the pain has progressed to affect her hands, making simple tasks like holding her phone or opening bottles nearly impossible at times.
"I can't even pick up my phone sometimes, because now it's traveled into my hands," Applegate explained. "So I'll try to go get my phone, or get my remote to turn on the TV [and] sometimes, I can't even hold them."
Maintaining Motherhood Through Pain
Despite the excruciating discomfort that keeps her bedridden for much of the day, Applegate remains fiercely committed to her role as a mother. She continues to drive her 15-year-old daughter, Sadie Grace LeNoble, to school and various activities, describing this as her favorite daily ritual.
"I want to take her; it's my favorite thing to do. It's the only time we have together by ourselves," Applegate told People. "I tell myself, 'Just get her there safely and get home so you can get back into bed.' And that's what I do."
Finding Humor in Hardship
The Married... with Children and Dead To Me star has developed what she calls a "sick sense of humour" to cope with her diagnosis and its daily challenges. She co-hosts the MesSy podcast alongside Sopranos actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who also lives with MS, where they frequently discuss their experiences with the condition.
In a particularly revealing moment from November 2024, Applegate described how the pain sometimes becomes so severe that she "lays in bed screaming" from sharp pains, aches, and what she describes as a squeezing sensation. She elaborated on the extreme measures her condition sometimes necessitates with characteristic dark humor.
"If I put my feet on the ground and they're hurting like extraordinarily bad to the touch, I was like, 'Yep. Gonna get back in my bed and pee in my diaper because I don't feel like walking all the way to the damn bathroom,'" she joked during a podcast episode, before clarifying: "I actually don't lay here and pee in my diaper. That's just a joke. But it's so freaking painful and so hard and so awkward."
The Reality of MS Symptoms
Multiple sclerosis presents with a wide array of symptoms that vary between individuals but commonly include:
- Extreme fatigue and exhaustion
- Numbness in various parts of the body
- Balance issues and dizziness
- Muscle cramps and spasms
- Memory problems and cognitive difficulties
Applegate has worked in the entertainment industry for nearly five decades, and while she acknowledges adjusting to her new limitations, her determination to maintain aspects of her normal life remains evident. Her upcoming memoir promises to provide further insight into her journey with MS and how she navigates the challenges of this progressive condition while maintaining her commitments as an actress, podcast host, and most importantly, a mother.
