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Christina Applegate made her first public appearance today since revealing how multiple sclerosis has plagued her mobility, rendering her unable to walk without a cane and causing her to gain 40 pounds.
The Emmy Award-winning actress, 50, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Applegate, who was barefoot and standing with the aid of a cane, was supported onstage by her Married With Children co-star Katey Sagal.
She cried as she spoke of her friends and family who helped her through the debilitating illness.
The actress revealed in August 2021 that she had been diagnosed with MS – a disease in which the immune system eats away the protective covering of nerves and interrupts the flow of information between the brain and body.
Earlier this month, she said the disease had destroyed her mobility, leaving her unable to walk without a cane and said she had gained 40 pounds.
Christina Applegate, 50, was propped up with a cane and her Married With Children co-star Katey Sagal as she accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday
The Dead to Me actress spoke about her struggle with Multiple Sclerosis at the ceremony in Los Angeles
Segal could be seen holding Applegate upright as she thanked her friends and family for their daily help living with MS
The event marks the actress’s first public appearance since revealing how multiple sclerosis had wreaked havoc on her mobility, rendering her unable to walk without the support of a cane and prompting her to gain 40 pounds.
Applegate standing barefoot on the red carpet on the Hollywood Walk of Fame leaned on actor Linda Cardellini as they took photos at the event
Applegate proudly sat by her plaque honoring her years of work in Hollywood, both in television and movies. She is pictured with her Married with Children co-stars David Faustino and Katey Segal
Applegate is pictured here greeting guests at the ceremony on Monday. She has been a TV and movie staple since her childhood. Her breakthrough role in Married With Children, where she played the promiscuous teen Kelly Bundy alongside Katey Sagal and Ed O’Neill, gave way to roles in a range of shows and movies, including the cult classic Anchorman and her current Netflix series Dead To Me, the final. season of which airs on November 17
Speaking at the ceremony on Monday, Applegate burst into tears as she thanked her friends for helping her live with the condition every day.
“This day means more to me than you can imagine,” she began, adding, “I’m not saying I have friends, I have family.” These people take care of me every day of my life and without them I don’t know what I would do.’
But, she said, “the most important person in this world” is her daughter, Sadie Grace.
“You are so much more than even you know,” the famous actress told her daughter. “You are so beautiful and kind and loving and smart and interesting, and I am blessed every day that I wake up and take you to school.
“You are my everything,” Applegate said. “Thank you for standing by my side through all of this.”
She then turned back to the audience and said, “Oh, by the way: I have a disease. Didn’t you notice?’
Prior to receiving her star and giving a speech, Applegate sat in the audience on Monday, leaning on her bejeweled cane
Applegate paused to show her hands before dipping them into the cement to seal her spot on the Walk of Fame
Applegate thanked all of her friends, whom she says she considers family, for helping her get through the illness. She is pictured with her Dead to Me co-star Linda Cardellini
Applegate’s devoted husband, Martyn LeNoble, wiped away tears at Monday’s ceremony
Applegate was diagnosed with MS during the production of the final season of her show, Dead to Me, who then took a five-month hiatus so she could begin her treatment.
But the Anchorman star persevered to continue shooting this past season.
‘I had an obligation. Those in power said, “Let’s just stop. We don’t have to finish it. Let’s put together a few episodes [with previously recorded footage]”I said no. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms.”
Applegate also shared that when production on the show – which earned her two Emmy nominations – came to a halt, “there was this feeling, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better.'”
However, the actress added, “There’s none better,” and said, “I’ll never accept this.” I am lost.’
In the end, taking the break was “good” for her: “I had to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time. Although it’s not like I got to the other side, like, “Woohoo, I’m totally fine.”‘
The new normal: Applegate posted a photo of her canes to Twitter in October and said needing help walking is her “new normal” as she looked forward to the star ceremony