For Christina Applegate (51), it is not the first serious illness that has turned her life upside down. In 2008 she was diagnosed with breast cancer - which she has since beaten. In order to not to take any risks, she decided at the time to have a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy.
In early 2021 doctors, again, had bad news for the Hollywood star. During the filming, of the last season, of her Netflix series 'Dead to me' the news reached her that she had multiple sclerosis.
The diagnosis not only sealed the abrupt end of her impressive career, but also the end of the accustomed everyday life of the mother of a twelve-year-old daughter.
In a interview with 'Vanity Fair' Applegate candidly shared the serious impact it has had on her life.
She said, "With MS, there is never a good day. You just have little crappy days. People say things like, 'Why don't you shower more often?' Well, because it scares me to get in the shower. You can fall, you can slip, you can bend your legs. Especially because I have a glass shower. It scares me to go in there."
The progressive disease affects all areas of life, she said. "There are just certain things that people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted. Walking down the stairs, carrying things - you can't do that anymore. It really sucks. I can still drive short distances in the car. I can take my kid's food upstairs. But only up, never down."
Fortunately she has many people, around her, who actively support her in everyday life. In addition to her husband, rock musician Martyn LeNoble (54, The Cult), and her daughter Sadie Grace, she said she also has many friends and medical caregivers at her side. "I have a friend who lives here during the week who helps me take care of Sadie," she explained, "and I have a caregiver on the weekends."
In general, however, she avoids contact with many people. "But I don't really want to be around a lot of people because I'm immunocompromised. I also don't want my nervous system to be too stimulated because that can be a bit much for me. I want to keep it as calm and gentle as possible."
Saying goodbye to the film world was difficult for her - yet she said she was also relieved to no longer have to be in front of the camera despite being ill. "It feels like it's been a hundred years, just because it was, and it was such a stressful, stressful time for me to be shooting at all" she reported. "I think I just needed to get away from it all, you know? (...) I miss the experience, but at the same time I'm relieved that I don't have to try so hard to get through the day anymore, because it was an incredible struggle last year."
Fortunately, there is some good news for the fated actress. In November 2022, for example, she was honored with a well-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Christina Applegate came to the award ceremony with a walking stick - but also with a broad smile on her face.