Christina Applegate is opening up about living with multiple sclerosis, the unpredictable and potentially debilitating disease she was diagnosed with in 2021.
“I live kind of in hell. 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,” the actor said in an interview with “Good Morning America.”
Applegate received a standing ovation at the Emmys in January when she appeared on stage with a cane as a surprise presenter. She cracked a joke about her condition saying, “You’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up, but it’s fine.”
The "Dead to Me" and "Anchorman" star admitted she “kind of blacked out” in that moment.
“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. I got so freaked out that I didn’t even know what was happening anymore,” Applegate said in the interview.
“I felt really beloved, and it was a beautiful thing,” she added.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler accompanied Applegate in the interview. Sigler herself was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 20 years old. The two are now hosting the new podcast, “MeSsy.”
Applegate first shared her diagnosis in 2021 through social media. The actor has since given fans updates about her health.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information between the brain and body, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The immune system attacks the body's nerve linings, producing unpredictable symptoms including pain, fatigue or even paralysis.