Christina Applegate Reflects on her Battle with MS: ‘I Needed to Process My Loss of My Life’

Christina Applegate is “never going to accept” being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

In a new interview with The New York Times, the Anchorman star, 50, offered a candid perspective on the disease, and how it has affected her career.

“There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,'” Applegate said, regarding her initial diagnosis. “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.”

The actress was diagnosed in August 2021, while she was filming the third season of her Netflix dramedy Dead to Me, and the show halted production so that she could begin treatment. She now looks back at filming with MS with a mixture of emotions.

“It’s not like I came on the other side of it, like, ‘Woohoo, I’m totally fine,'” she told the Times. “Acceptance? No. I’m never going to accept this. I’m pissed.”

Christina Applegate. Jon Kopaloff/Getty

The Married … With Children alum also shared that her appearance has changed since her diagnosis, and it is evident in the new season, which premieres Nov. 17.

“This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am,” she said. “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.”

The show’s cast and crew helped Applegate adapt throughout the filming, however, whether it meant doing away with establishing shots that involved the actress having to walk, or providing a fellow crew member to prop up her feet in a scene.

Christina Applegate. Saeed Adyani/Netflix

Her special bond with co-star Linda Cardellini, whom she calls a “mama bear”, helped make the transition easier.

“I just had the immediate feeling that we were going to have each other’s backs,” Cardellini said about first meeting Applegate. “Jen and Judy support each other, love each other, help each other through things. Linda and Christina, the same thing.”

Despite this, Applegate said she’s unsure whether fans will accept her in the new “role.”

Saeed Adyani/Netflix

“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. “I’m sure that people are going to be, like, ‘I can’t get past it.'”

She continued, “Fine, don’t get past it, then. But hopefully, people can get past it and just enjoy the ride and say goodbye to these two girls.”

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Last week, the star shared with her social media followers another big date — her first event since receiving her diagnosis.

She posted a photo of five “fancy” canes, writing: “I have a very important ceremony coming up.”

“This will be my first time out since diagnosed with MS,” Applegate continued. “Walking sticks are now part of my new normal. Thank you @neowalksticks for these beauties. Stay tuned to see which ones make the cut for a week of stuff.”

Season 3 of Dead to Me premieres on Netflix Nov. 17.