Christina Applegate has opened up about the early symptoms she had that eventually led her to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, the 50-year-old actress outlined the details of her diagnosis and how it impacted all aspects of her life.
"I wish I had paid attention," she said during a video call from her home in Los Angeles. "But who was I to know?"
The star revealed that she first started noticing symptoms while she was on set for the Netflix show, Dead To Me, stating that she was losing her balance while she was filming. It then started affecting her hobbies outside of her work and gradually continued to worsen over time.
Eventually, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a lifelong autoimmune condition that affects communication between the brain and nerves in the body. In some cases, it can cause permanent numbness, vision problems, and even paralysis.
Within a few weeks of finding out the news, Applegate started her treatment.
"There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,’" she recalled. "And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time."
She continued: "Although it’s not like I came on the other side of it, like, ‘Woohoo, I’m totally fine. Acceptance? No. I’m never going to accept this. I’m p***ed."
Despite her illness, Applegate was determined to continue living her life to the fullest and that started off with finishing filming the third and final season of Dead To Me which had to be paused after she initially started getting treatment.
"I had an obligation to Liz and to Linda, to our story," she said, despite show bosses apparently wanting to cease filming.
But it was difficult because the disease was having a drastic impact on her body. What were once simple tasks, like walking down the stairs of her trailer, she needed to have assistance with, but she didn't let that stop her from turning up to set.
Applegate told the outlet during the interview: "I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that."
"If people hate it, if people love it, if all they can concentrate on is, ‘Ooh, look at the cripple,’ that’s not up to me," she said. "But hopefully people can get past it and just enjoy the ride and say goodbye to these two girls."
Dead To Me is available to watch on Netflix from November 17.
