At only 36, Christina Applegate had to make a tough decision her life depended on: being
permanently at risk of cancer, or having a double mastectomy and changing her body forever.
The actress decided to get the mastectomy, even if this drastic choice broke her heart.
Luckily, she had found someone that stood by her side no matter what: musician Martyn
LeNoble.
Christina Applegate rose to fame as a child actress in the TV show “Married… with
children”.
Over the years, she continued her successful career and even won an Emmy as a guest actress
on the show “Friends”! She is also a Tony and Golden Globe Award nominee and has appeared
in hit shows like Netflix’s “Dead to me.”
With all this fame, the actress has had the chance to date other stars.
When she was a teenager, she even went on a few dates with Brad Pitt!
However, Christina was not convinced and stood the actor up during the 1989 MTV Video Music
Awards.
Applegate actually left her date with Pitt because she wanted to meet another man.
Although the actress confessed this much, she did not want to reveal the person’s
identity.
However, in 2016, Skid Row’s former vocalist Sebastian Bach confessed he had been the chosen
one.
The singer did an interview on the radio show Elliot in the morning.
He revealed that he was the “other dude” Christina had talked about and joked, “There
was a time on this earth when Sebastian Bach was, like, a hotter lay than Brad Pitt."
However, Sebastian explained that his relationship with Christina was never anything serious.
The star herself has never confirmed if Bach was the man she met that night, but he does
fit her description.
In 1997, Applegate met actor Jonathon Schaech.
The “Dead to me” alumn has since confessed her heart skipped a beat the moment they shook
hands.
The performers started dating and got married after four years together.
Sadly, Schaech filed for divorce in 2005, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
Although not many details are known, both actors reportedly agreed to split and had
an amicable breakup.
Jonathon apparently still has nice memories from his time with Christina.
During a 2022 appearance on the “Whine down” podcast, he said, “I loved her so much.
I still love her so much.”
That’s actually adorable!
After Schaech, Applegate had an on-again-off-again relationship with skateboarder and photographer
Lee Grivas.
In 2008, the unthinkable happened: Lee was found dead at his apartment.
A Lieutenant at the department of coroner revealed a syringe had been found at the scene.
He then added that Grivas had a history of drug abuse.
A source told the National Enquirer that Christina had broken up with Lee a number of times because
of his struggles with sobriety.
“She loved him, but couldn't stand by and watch him ruin his life.”
After Grivas’ passing, Applegate released a statement that said, "I am profoundly saddened.
Lee was an incredible human being who was an extremely important and beautiful part
of my life.
He is missed beyond words."
The actress was able to recover from the loss and found love again, this time with Dutch
musician Martyn Lenoble.
The bassist is a founding member of the band “Porno for Pyros”.
The pair had been friends for a long time before starting their romance.
However, after only a couple of months of dating, tragedy struck: Christina was diagnosed
with breast cancer.
Applegate’s mother had previously endured the disease, so the actress had regular mammograms
for prevention.
One of her doctors told her the mammograms weren't enough, and she got an MRI.
According to Christina, they found some “funky things” going on.
After a biopsy, the worst became true: the star had cancer.
The actress still remembers the anxiety she felt while waiting for the result.
One day, her doctor called and told her, “It came back positive.”
“I'm sitting here shaking remembering that moment,” Christina said in an interview.
Finding out she was sick was hard on Applegate, who told Oprah, “I went through five weeks
of work without telling anyone that this was going on in my life."
While fighting the disease, she tested positive for what is known as the “breast cancer
gene”.
This meant that she had a high chance to get cancer again at some point.
Christina was faced with an impossible decision: continue her radiation treatment and being
at risk of cancer returning her whole life, or having a double mastectomy.
Applegate’s mom had overcome cancer, only for it to return four years later.
Terrified of the disease coming back, Christina chose to have the mastectomy.
The star claimed that the decision wasn’t hard to make.
“I don't want to have to deal with this again,” she explained.
Before the operation, Applegate had her first (and last) nude photoshoot.
She wanted to keep a memory of what her body used to look like.
The change was, of course, hard for Christina.
"I cry about it at least once a day," she told Oprah.
“It’s a part of you that’s gone”.
During this painful Journey, Martyn stayed by his wife’s side.
In an interview with People Magazine, Christina explained that the musician made her feel
“beautiful” when it came to her body changing.
She called her then-boyfriend an “angel”.
“He gave me something to really want to live for and something to smile about,”
the actress revealed.
Christina also told Women’s health, “I don't think I would have been able to get
through any of it without him.
I laughed more in the hospital than I ever have in my life.”
After the actress was finally cured, the lovebirds had a daughter, Sadie Grace.
Two years later, they tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony at their home.
LeNoble also has a daughter from a previous relationship.
In 2017, Applegate decided to undergo surgery again to prevent a future cancer diagnosis:
she got her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.
She told Today.Com that her cousin had passed away from ovarian cancer, and she could prevent
that.
The actress then joked, “That’s one other thing off the table.
Now, let’s hope I don’t get hit by a bus.”
On a more serious note, the star revealed she had made other changes in her life for
the sake of her health.
She makes sure to eat healthy and tries to keep her stress in check.
However, there is one thing Applegate can’t control: the chance her child might get cancer
too.
Christina knows that the chances her daughter has the “breast cancer gene” are very
high.
To prevent it, she tries to keep Sadie’s stress levels down and feeds her the cleanest
foods.
In fact, her daughter has been a vegetarian since childhood!
The actress explained that, even if she was born into a vegetarian family, Sadie made
the decision herself.
Applegate opened up about these prevention measures, saying, “I’m doing everything
I can on my end.”
Still, she knows her daughter will need regular testing when she’s an adult.
When thinking about a possible future diagnosis, Christina said, “It breaks my heart to think
that’s a possibility.”
The actress has used her experience to help others.
In 2008, she founded Right Action for Women, an organization that helps women pay for breast
cancer gene tests.
It also helps people understand the risk factors for breast cancer.
In 2021, Christina sadly faced more health problems.
In August, she revealed that she had multiple sclerosis.
The “Bad Moms” actress said she was being supported by people she knew had the same
condition.
“It’s been a tough road,” she confessed.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, causing a high
variety of symptoms, like problems with vision and thinking, spasms, and difficulty walking.
A few months later, Applegate tweeted again, recommending the “Introducing, Selma Blair”
documentary, which talks about the life of a patient diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
The actress confessed she didn’t know what the disease was before she had it.
“My life is changed forever,” she stated.
The performer also added, “I’m not a strong woman.
I’m a person with MS.
I’m sad about it all the time.
But I hope one day I will be a fighter.”
In an interview with The New York Times, the star opened up about the ways the disease
was affecting her, revealing that she had put on 40 pounds and couldn’t walk without
a cane.
She also confessed that filming the final season of “Dead to me” was really challenging
because of her symptoms.
Applegate told the magazine she wasn’t sure if she’d ever watch the final season of
the show, since it might be too painful.
Christina’s strength throughout her health journey has inspired many others around her.
James Marsden, her “Dead to me” co-star, has talked fondly of the actress.
“She is going to battle and fight through anything,” he said.
“That is her character.
It is just who she is.”
Christina and Martyn are still together, and he continues supporting her through this diagnosis.
Even if life is tough on the actress, her marriage still blossoms beautifully.
Here at Rumour Juice, we hope the couple can continue being there for each other and making
the other happy.