Photo: Getty Images
Christina Applegate is giving a raw look into her life with multiple sclerosis.
The Dead to Me actress, 54, spoke with People in an interview published Tuesday (February 24) for a wide-ranging conversation about navigating fame as a teenager, motherhood, health battles and more, including living with MS. She was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease — which attacks the central nervous system and cause symptoms like weakness, trouble walking and numbness, according to the Mayo Clinic — in 2021.
During the conversation, Applegate revealed that the condition has left her in so much pain that she spends much of her time in or on bed. However, despite the struggles, she said that she still fights to take her daughter to school, which she called her "favorite thing to do." Applegate shares Sadie, 15, with her husband Martyn LaNoble.
"It's the only time we have together by ourselves," she said. "I tell myself, 'Just get her there safely and get home so you can get back into bed.'"
The Married... with Children actress explained that the experience of being limited to her bedroom has allowed her to be more open about her health journey, which she will expand more on in her new memoir You With the Sad Eyes, out March 3.
"My life isn't wrapped up with a bow," she said. "People's lives, sorry for lack of a better term, f---ing suck sometimes. So, I'm being as honest and raw as I possibly can."
In an August 2025 episode of her MeSsy podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Applegate shared a candid look at how her MS battle has impacted her daughter, who she said only knew her as "healthy" before her diagnosis.