Christina Applegate can’t walk without a cane and has gained 40 pounds after being diagnosed with MS: ‘I want people to know that I’m aware of all of this’

Christina Applegate says they are doing the third and final season of dead to me following her multiple sclerosis diagnosis is the hardest thing she’s ever done.

The 50-year-old actress is also known for Married with children and anchorman was diagnosed with a central nervous system disorder during production of the Netflix show’s final season in the summer of 2021, which disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body, and took five months off to allow her to begin treatment. She told that New York Times in a new interview that it took a lot to come back and see it through to the end.

“I had an obligation” to finish the story, which earned her two Emmy nominations, Applegate said. “Those in power said, ‘Let’s just stop. We don’t have to end it. Let’s put some episodes together [with previously recorded footage]. I said no. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms.'”

Applegate had to flex to establish those conditions as a veteran actress since she was in kindergarten. Because the truth was, she couldn’t do what she used to do anymore.

When they paused production, “there was a feeling, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine to make her feel better,'” she said. “There is nothing better. But it was good for me. I had to process my loss of my life, my loss of this part of me. So I needed that time. Although it’s not like I got to the other side, like, ‘Woohoo, I’m totally fine.'”

Nor was she accepted. “No. I will never accept that. I’m angry,” she said.

By the time she returned to the set of the dark comedy, her mobility had diminished. She needed a wheelchair to get to the set. She had trouble navigating the steps to her trailer. Her body gave out while filming, especially in the heat. A sound engineer had to hold her legs out of camera range to capture footage. She could no longer film footage of her entering a room because she could not do it unaided. She would have to open doors in scenes only to lean against them to keep them upright.

The story goes on

When the final season dropped on Netflix on November 17, Applegate said, “This is the first time anyone has seen me for who I am. I gained 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I’m very aware of all of this.”

Applegate, a mother of one, isn’t sure she’ll ever see the final season as she says it’s too painful. But she wanted to complete it for her co-star Linda Cardellini, who has become a close friend and has taken on the role of advocate on set, and for the show’s creator, Liz Feldman.

“If people hate it, if people love it, if all they can focus on is, ‘Ooh, look at the cripple,’ then it’s not my fault,” Applegate said. “I’m sure people will say, ‘I can’t get over this.’ Well, don’t get over it then, but hopefully folks can get over it and just enjoy the ride and say goodbye to these two girls.”

Applegate and Cardellini became fast friends while playing Jen and Judy, whose on-screen relationship is complicated – an unlikely connection between a widow and the woman who accidentally killed her husband. In a particularly unfortunate twist, Applegate’s character is facing illnesses this season, making it particularly difficult. The plot was created before her diagnosis, and some scenes just “crushed” her.

Applegate praised Cardellini, calling her “my champion, my warrior, my voice” and a “mama bear” on set as she worked through her deepest moments. For her part, Cardellini said she wanted “only the best for the person I love and care about and have the privilege of working with.”

Taking to social media this week, Applegate shared photos of her new line of canes, which she’s called her new normal.

She told that NYT that looking back at the time before she was diagnosed, there were signs of the disease. She spoke of being off balance while filming a dance scene and her tennis game was up. She recalled being self-critical and thinking she just had to work harder, a mindset she’s had her whole life with a successful career spanning decades.

“I wish I’d been paying attention,” she said. “But who should I know?”