Devastating diagnoses, a troubling family history,
and a severe lack of sleep. The ever-outspoken Christina Applegate hasn’t been shy when it
comes to opening up about her many health struggles over the years.
Christina Applegate has had an outstanding career in television and film to date. At the same time,
the star has been diagnosed with numerous troubling health conditions,
none of which have overshadowed her wonderful acting work.
Applegate's career took off in the 1980s, when she was a teenager. Her earliest appearances include
movies "Beatlemania," and television shows like "Charles in Charge" and "Heart of the City." It
was her definitive role in "Married... with Children" that brought her to a much larger
audience. Later on, Applegate clinched an Emmy with a guest role in just two episodes of the
star-studded sitcom "Friends." The actor has since hinted that her most recent performance in
Netflix's "Dead to Me" could be her swansong, following a terrifying diagnosis. However,
this isn't the first time that Applegate has been frank about the health conditions she lives with.
In 2008, Christina Applegate was up for several nominations, including an Emmy for her lead role
in the comedy series "Samantha Who?" But it wasn't all sunshine and roses for the actor,
who was diagnosed with cancer the same year at age 36. Applegate's mother Nancy Priddy is a
cancer survivor twice over, so the actor started undergoing screening programs when she turned 30,
per the National Breast Cancer Foundation. After being advised to get an MRI instead
of a mammogram, the results revealed that Applegate had cancer in her left breast.
The "Bad Moms" star was with her mom when she received the results, telling Women's Health,
"I lay in her lap and just screamed and screamed [...] Even though it
ran in my family, I never in a million years thought it would happen to me."
"I'm a 36-year-old person with breast cancer,
and not that many people know that happens to women my age."
Fortunately, the cancer hadn't spread and had been detected early. Applegate began treatments
immediately, but kept her diagnosis private and continued work as usual. Though it was a time of
emotional upheaval, Applegate later revealed that she was cancer free, telling ABC News in 2009,
"I'm definitely not going to die from breast cancer."
Christina Applegate's cancer diagnosis brought with it some tough decisions.
When Applegate's test results came back positive for breast cancer in 2008,
the disease was detected in the left breast only. Owing to her family history,
the cancer diagnosis was followed by a second positive test, this time for a BRCA mutation.
As noted by the American Cancer Society, BRCA gene mutations are one of the foremost risk
factors for hereditary cancer. Applegate was advised to have a mastectomy, telling WebMD,
"I was very against the idea of mastectomy. I cried and said there's no way in hell I'm
doing this. Then it just hit me: I had a chance of recurrence that
was way above 50%. I didn't want to live with that fear for the rest of my life,
so I came to terms with it, and we went ahead and decided to take both off."
The preventive surgery was succeeded by breast reconstruction surgery,
as she told Women's Health,
"I've never had a year where I got hit hard that much."
"It's unfortunate but it's affecting us all in some way."
The "Anchorman" star successfully prevented cancer from spreading the first time around
thanks to vigilant testing, but she wasn't taking chances anymore. After finding out
that she carried a BCRA mutation that put her at increased risk of ovarian cancer,
Applegate had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in 2017. As Applegate told Today,
"My cousin passed away from ovarian cancer in 2008. I could prevent that.
That's how I've taken control of everything."
An oophorectomy, the process in which ovaries are removed,
induces surgical menopause due to the removal of the body's source of estrogen production,
per Healthline. While the preventive operation assured some respite from cancer for Applegate,
it also heralded menopause. The Broadway star didn't shy away from sharing her
health update in public, emphasizing the need for frankness on the subject, telling People,
"Let's talk about what that's like at 40-something, to be going through that,
and know that you're not alone."
"I'm really sick of this disease. I'm sick of it."
In fact, experiencing early menopause hasn't deterred the
comedian from joking about it. During a 2022 interview with Variety, she quipped,
"Sorry, I'm crying so much, but I have my period!
Just kidding — I've been in menopause for four years, so I'm good!"
Netflix's Emmy-nominated series "Dead to Me" has been at the forefront of representation
of health issues, many of which have been borrowed from Applegate's life,
including cancer and menopause. The latter was an important part of the show,
with Applegate's co-star Linda Cardellini telling Parade in 2020,
"Being on a show [created] by women gives you the opportunity
to address things that should be addressed."
A healthy sleep schedule is a luxury that Christina Applegate doesn't have.
The actor has struggled with getting enough sleep for years, telling People in 2020,
"In my 20s and 30s,
I used to never be able to fall asleep and would just stay up all night long."
The mother-of-one reportedly can't get more than three erratic hours of sleep each night,
usually dozing off at around 6 a.m. Applegate has been vocal about the mental and emotional toll
sleeplessness can take on an individual, urging increased conversation on the subject. In 2016,
she joined with pharmaceutical and healthcare organization Merck to
encourage awareness about living with insomnia, saying in a press release,
"I’m making it a priority to address my sleep problems. I’m willing to experiment with
different things to find a solution that works best for me, which is why I’m working with Merck,
to help others struggling with insomnia learn more about what might be keeping them awake."
Seven hours of sleep is generally the standard for adults, with the
nonprofit Sleep Foundation observing that women actually need more sleep than men.
Women are reportedly 40% more prone to insomnia, along with a number of
health and hormonal factors affecting their Circadian rhythms. In 2017,
Applegate revealed that meditation had been helping her sleep, telling Self,
"The one I have is five minutes long, and it literally just puts you into a good state of
shutting your brain and shutting down your body and preparing you for sleep."
2021 brought yet another diagnosis in Christina Applegate's life. While filming
the final season of "Dead to Me," Applegate discovered that she had multiple sclerosis,
telling The New York Times in 2022,
"I wish I had paid attention. But who was I to know? [...] There was the sense of,
'Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better' [...] And there is no
better. [...] I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me."
Prior to her diagnosis, Applegate had been experiencing a range of symptoms
for a number of years, not realizing that she had multiple sclerosis. Speaking to Healthline,
Dr. Nora Lansen explained that the symptoms of the condition vary from person to person,
making the neurological disease more difficult to diagnose. As Lansen revealed,
"There is no single test that can provide a definitive diagnosis."
Following Applegate's diagnosis, "Dead to Me" took a hiatus from filming. However,
the lead actor was determined to see the project through to the end. Incidentally, the final
season of the series contains themes of illness, which made filming that much more emotional for
Applegate. Discussing the experience, the Golden Globe-nominated star told Variety,
"It was all of us together, enjoying our last months together, and making the most
out of my s— situation that I used humor to kind of keep my wall up. I had people
laughing about it all the time. I was in a wheelchair, but I’d also have my cane."
"When people see me now as a disabled person,
I want them to feel comfortable that we can laugh about it."
Christina Applegate's multiple sclerosis diagnosis set in motion
a string of physical changes. Initially, the actor started losing her balance,
which can be an early manifestation of the chronic condition. As a result,
Applegate started using assistive tools for mobility, telling The New York Times in 2022,
"This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am [...] 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."
As noted by Medical News Today, multiple sclerosis causes nerve damage,
which provokes the progression of weakened muscles and coordination that can impact movement. When
Applegate started experiencing these symptoms, innovations were introduced to the way "Dead
to Me" was shot. For instance, in some scenes, an off-camera crew member supported the actor's legs.
In November 2022, the "Hall Pass'' actor received a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame. She attended the ceremony barefoot, with her cane, and nail
art that flipped off multiple sclerosis. During her speech, Applegate even joked:
"Oh, by the way, I have a disease. Did you not notice?"
Following her diagnoses with multiple sclerosis, cancer, and insomnia,
Christina Applegate has battled more than her share of challenges. The Emmy-winning
star maintains tenacious positivity, revealing in Katie Couric's "The Best Advice I Ever Got:"
"I do not have the luxury of negative thought!
Not when I need to make the impossible oh-so-possible."
This mantra has kept Applegate afloat during trying times,
whether she has a broken foot or cancer. Of course, this doesn't
mean that Applegate is positive at all times, as she told ABC News:
"Sometimes, you know, I cry. And sometimes I scream. And I get really angry."
When Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the creators of
"Dead to Me" were ready to halt production for the sake of their lead star. However,
Applegate was adamant that they would finish the series, as she told Variety,
"It had to be told, for us, and, of course, for our audience, who have invested the last
four years loving these characters and learning about them. [...] I was like,
'No, we have to finish this for ourselves. We have to tell our
story. And I’ll do whatever I can — I’m just going to need your help.'"
Proving that she wasn't about to give up, Applegate tweeted in November 2021:
"I turned 50 today. And I have MS. It’s been a hard one. Sending so much love to
all of you this day. Many are hurting today, and I am thinking of you. May
we find that strength to lift our heads up. Mine currently is on my pillow. But I try."