Christina Applegate, 52, shares devastating health update amid her MS battle – admitting she ‘blacked out’ during Emmy Awards appearance: ‘I’m living in hell’

By William On Mar 11, 2024

Christina Applegate has admitted she is living ‘in hell’ after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, revealing she struggled to attend the 2024 Emmy Awards in January because going out is ‘a bit difficult’.

During an exclusive interview with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, the 52-year-old actress said she “freaked out so much” during the star-studded ceremony as she took the stage to present the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. Series.

“I actually blacked out,” she told 63-year-old Robin. ‘People were like, “Oh, you were so funny,” and I was like, “I don’t even know what I said.” I don’t know what I did, I panicked so much I didn’t even know what happened anymore.’

When asked if she felt the love after her performance at the 75th Emmy Awards, she replied, “I mean, yeah, yeah. I’m kind of living in hell… I’m not outside much, so this is a little bit hard just for my system, but yeah, of course the support is great and I’m very grateful.”

Christina Applegate has admitted she is living ‘in hell’ after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021

The 52-year-old actress admitted she “freaked out so much” when she appeared on stage at the Emmy Awards in January 2024.

Christina had the support of a male presenter as she presented an award and also used a cane

The Married… with Children actress looked stunning as she took to the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles earlier this year, wearing a burgundy velvet Christian Siriano floor-length dress and using a cane to help her to walk.

Christina received a standing ovation that night and decided to keep the sweet moment light as she told the celebrity crowd: “You’re completely ashamed of your disability by standing up, it’s fine!”

Addressing that moment again with Robin, she said, “I really felt loved and it was a beautiful thing,” before joking again and adding, “I’m just going to say this, that the audience stood up for everyone!”

Christina sat next to fellow actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler for her Good Morning America interview.

The 42-year-old Sopranos actress was diagnosed with MS at the age of 20, while Christina began experiencing symptoms of the disease, which affects the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, at the age of 40.

Last year, Christina said she may never perform in front of a camera again due to her battle with multiple sclerosis.

The actress said she had been thinking about what her future could look like and shared that Vanity fair: ‘I can’t even imagine settling down now.

‘This is a progressive disease. I don’t know if I’m going to get any worse. With MS it is never a good day. You just have little bad days,” she explained.

The Bad Moms star sat next to Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who also has MS, as she spoke to Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts

Christina admitted that she doesn’t go out much because it’s “a little hard” on her system

The mother of one said she ‘kind of blacked out’ during her Emmy appearance and can’t remember what she said

Christina pictured with her teenage daughter Sadie at the 29th SAG Awards in February 2023

“There are just certain things that people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted. Going down the stairs, carrying things, that is no longer possible. It sucks,” she continued.

‘I can still drive my car short distances. I can bring food for my child. Up, never down.”

The Dead To Me actress confirmed she has turned to a friend to help her care for her 13-year-old daughter Sadie, who she shares with husband Martyn LeNoble, 54, and a caregiver arrives on weekends to do what is necessary.

She admitted, “I don’t really want to be around a lot of people because I have a weakened immune system. I also don’t want too much nervous system stimulation as it might be a bit too much for me. I like to keep it as calm and gentle as possible.’

Christina received her MS diagnosis in August 2021, just before production began on the third and final season of her Netflix series Dead to Me.

“None of us knew I was going to get sick, gain 40 pounds from the drugs and have immobility,” she explained.

“I’m probably not going to work on camera again, but I’m so glad I dated someone who is by far the best actress I’ve ever worked with in my entire life, if not the greatest human being I’ve ever been with.” “I knew it once,” she said of her co-star Linda Cardellini, 48.

Christina has also had huge support from her friend Jamie-Lynn and from fellow actress Selma Blair, who was diagnosed with MS in August 2018.

Christina pictured at the 71st Emmy Awards in 2019, a few years before her MS diagnosis

Christina was joined by her Married… with Children co-stars David Faustino and Katey Sagal when she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November 2022.

WHAT IS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS?

Multiple sclerosis (known as MS) is a condition in which the immune system attacks the body and causes nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord.

It is an incurable, lifelong condition. Symptoms can be mild in some and more extreme in others, causing severe disability.

MS affects 2.3 million people worldwide, including around a million in the US and 100,000 in Britain.

It occurs more than twice as often in women as in men. Usually someone is diagnosed between the ages of twenty and thirty.

The condition is more commonly diagnosed in people of European descent.

The cause is not clear. There may be genes associated with it, but it is not directly hereditary. Smoking and low vitamin D levels have also been linked to MS.

Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty walking, vision problems, bladder problems, numbness or tingling, muscle stiffness and spasms, problems with balance and coordination, and problems with thinking, learning, and planning.

The majority of patients will have periods of symptoms that go away and come back, while some have symptoms that gradually worsen over time.

Symptoms can be managed with medication and therapy.

The condition shortens the average life expectancy by about five to ten years.

Speaking about the guidance Jamie-Lynn gave her on setting boundaries, Christina revealed: ‘She said, “You need to tell them (what you need) now that you’ve taken it out of the bag”.’

The veteran actress said she wished she had received the same advice when she was recovering from breast cancer following her 2008 diagnosis while shooting the TV sitcom Samantha Who?

‘I didn’t talk about my boundaries then. I should have asked for a little more time after one of my operations. I went back to work two weeks after my reconstruction. And that was very difficult for me to do,” she said.

Christina announced that she was cancer-free after undergoing a double mastectomy in July 2008, even though cancer was found in only one of her breasts. She revealed that she had the inherited genetic trait, a BRCA1 mutation, that can cause breast and ovarian cancer.