Christina Applegate Reveals the First Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms She Ignored
Christina Applegate is sharing the difficult reality of living with multiple sclerosis, revealing how she first noticed symptoms but didn’t pay much attention at the time. The 54-year-old actress spoke with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” in 2024, alongside her friend and fellow MS patient Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
“My symptoms had started in the early part of 2021, and it was, like, literally just tingling on my toes,” Applegate said. She explained that by the summer, when filming her Netflix series Dead To Me, she needed a wheelchair on set because she couldn’t walk long distances.
Applegate was diagnosed with MS in 2021 during the filming of the show. Looking back, she said she may have actually been experiencing the disease for as long as seven years before the official diagnosis. “I really just kind of put it off as being tired, or I’m dehydrated, or it’s the weather. And then nothing would happen for, like, months, and I didn’t pay attention,” she shared.
In a 2022 Variety interview, she recalled how her initial symptoms went ignored. “That January, my toes got numb, and I ignored it. The balls of my foot got numb, and I ignored it. All of a sudden, I’d be, like, falling over. People were like, ‘Oh, it’s just neuropathy.’ At this point, they had to take me with a wheelchair to set because I couldn’t walk if the set was far. I was sleeping all the time, and I gained 40 pounds — a lot of things happened.”
Applegate described living with MS as “kind of hell” and shared how the disease has forced her to spend more time at home. “They call it the invisible disease. It can be very lonely, because it’s hard to explain to people,” she said. She added, “I’m in excruciating pain, but I’m just used to it now . . . Right now, I’m isolating. That’s kind of how I’m dealing with it, is by, like, not going anywhere, because I don’t want to do it. It’s hard.”
The actress emphasized how isolating the condition can be and how it affects daily life, from pain management to coping with physical limitations. Her openness highlights the challenges many face with MS, an often invisible illness that can be difficult to understand for those not living with it.
It’s inspiring to see Christina sharing her story and bringing attention to the struggles of living with multiple sclerosis. Her courage in speaking out may help others recognize early symptoms and seek help sooner. How do you feel about Christina’s journey with MS? Share your thoughts in the comments.
