Christina Applegate Reflects On Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis: 'I Wish I Had Paid Attention'

Christina Applegate has opened up about her multiple sclerosis and how it has affected her life since before her formal diagnosis.

In an interview with The New York Times, the actress revealed her symptoms started several years ago, while she was shooting the first season of the hit Netflix comedy "Dead To Me," but she paid no attention to them.

Applegate said it all started when she felt unusually unstable, while filming a dance sequence for the series. She also noticed her growing weakness during her tennis sessions, saying she felt like her game was not as strong as it had been before. Despite the red flags, she continued on with her life and told herself she just needed to work harder.

"I wish I had paid attention," she said. "But who was I to know?"

Applegate was officially diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the summer of 2021, after experiencing worse symptoms such as tingling, numbness, and pain. The diagnosis came around the time when the filming for the final season of "Dead to Me" had just gotten underway. The actress said the production had to be halted for about five months to give way to her treatment.

"There was the sense of, 'Well, let's get her some medicine so she can get better," she said. "And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me, so I needed that time," she added.

Despite her condition, Applegate said she insisted on carrying on. As filming resumed, she tried her best to rise above her illness by going to the set using a wheelchair and having someone to hold her legs for her off-camera. She revealed the writers even modified the script of the series to accommodate her condition.

"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," she said.

Applegate admitted she would never be able to find acceptance in what happened to her. "Acceptance? No. I'm never going to accept this. I'm pissed," she said, adding filming the final season of her series while dealing with her disease was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life.

"Dead to Me" Season 3 premieres Nov. 17 on Netflix.