CHRISTINA’S SHOCK DIAGNOSIS
THE STAR BRAVELY OPENS UP ABOUT HER SHOCK MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS
It’s been 13 years since Christina Applegate became a breast cancer survivor and after remaining cancer-free for over a decade, there is no doubt she hoped her biggest health battle was behind her. But on August 10, the star revealed she’d been given another heartbreaking medical diagnosis. Applegate announced she has the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis and was still adjusting to the news she was given earlier this year.
“A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey,” Applegate shared on Twitter. “But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition,” she added.
Applegate, who is no stranger to health struggles after she made the tough decision to have a double mastectomy during her cancer treatment in 2008, admitted she was going through a difficult time but vowed she’d get through it.
“It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a--hole blocks it,” the 49-year-old said. “As one of my friends that has MS said, ‘We wake up and take the indicated action.’ And that’s what I do,” she explained.
While the Married... With Children star didn’t name the friend who has been supporting her, it is likely fellow actress Selma Blair whom she’s been leaning on. Blair, also 49, and Applegate became friends in 2002 while filming their hit rom-com The Sweetest Thing. Blair understands what Applegate is going through as she was diagnosed with MS in 2018.
While no two cases of MS are the same, Blair revealed to WHO’s sister publication People magazine in 2019 that her symptoms included “constant weakness and fatigue”, and that her eyelashes fell out.
Standing by Applegate’s side as she adjusts to her new life are her husband Martyn LeNoble and their only child, daughter Sadie Grace LeNoble, 10. The Emmy Award-winning actress started dating the musician, 52, during her cancer battle and revealed he’d provided her with invaluable support.
“I have a small but mighty support system and Martyn has really been an incredible part of my life,” Applegate previously told Us Weekly magazine. “Without him, I don’t know if I could’ve gone through any of it,” she added.
Applegate was in the middle of filming the third and final season of her hit dark comedy series Dead to Me when she was diagnosed with the condition. Netflix confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter they have “decided to temporarily pause production” until she feels ready to return.
“We love and support Christina and respect her privacy as she takes the time and space she needs in this moment,” a rep from the streaming giant told the website.
While Applegate has asked for privacy for the moment, there is no doubt she will
share her journey with her fans to raise awareness of MS when she’s ready. The Vacation star bravely spoke out about her decision to pre-emptively remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes in 2017 when she discovered she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, which meant she had an increased rick of developing ovarian cancer.
“If you do have a voice to do it, which we [as actors] are fortunate to have this platform to be like, ‘I am just like you,
I can’t sleep, I feel like crap a lot of the time because of this, but I want you to feel OK with it and not feel shame about it and get information about it so that you can have a better quality of life,’” the actress told People.
• By Kylie Walters