Christina Applegate says her daughter is ‘losing’ her mum amid MS diagnosis

Christina Applegate has opened up on her journey with multiple sclerosis which she said is now her “new normal” as she admitted: “It sucks.”

The Bad Moms star, 52, was diagnosed with MS in 2021 and revealed she has a strong sense of humour which keeps her going. The actress spoke about her condition and the emotional turmoil it has caused during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night.

She joked with the 56-year-old TV host after walking on stage with a can saying: “I was thinking wouldn’t it be funny if I came out and I did a somersault like Willy Wonka? And then I was like ta-da, you’d be ”What a b****. She is such a liar.’ I’m not. I literally am disabled.”

READ MORE: Christina Applegate’s Emmy appearance ‘meant a lot’ as she fights ‘debilitating’ MS

Jimmy said: “I learned from our text exchanges you have a very sick sense of humour,” to which Christina replied: “It’s how I live. It’s how I keep myself okay.” The show host added: “‘I like it. I think that’s good. I think that’s the way to go for sure.”

After being asked how she is doing in her battle with MS, Christina said: “‘I mean, it sucks. I’m not going to lie. And I think anyone who has MS isn’t going to be like, ‘This is the best thing that ever happened to me.’ It really isn’t. Because that would mean you have a really crappy life if that’s the best thing, the best thing that ever happened to you is something like this.” She then teased the audience saying: “It was a joke. You guys don’t get me!”

The actress also said she feels like her 13-year-old daughter Sadie Grace LeNoble is “losing her mum” as she knew her – and reminisced about their past together when they could dance, do library work together, and be more active including picking her up from school.

Christina admitted “it breaks me” as she explained she can no longer do the same things she once did effortlessly. She became emotional during the interview and said: “I’m sorry. I freak out about it every day.”

She appeared on the ABC talk show to promote her new podcast MeSsy with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, 42, who revealed in 2016 that she was diagnosed with MS when she was 20 years old. She said they decided to make a podcast together to “help people”.

Christina explained: “Because we felt that what we were talking about, and we were being really raw and honest about how we were feeling, that it might help. And I think it will help people. I really do. I think that people listen. And you don’t have to have MS to listen to what we’re talking about.” The podcast premieres on Tuesday.

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In January, Christina spoke on stage at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, and received a standing ovation by the audience. Addressing the crowd, Christina joked: “Thank you so much! Oh my God! You’re totally shaming me [and my] disability by standing up.”

Viewers quickly took to social media to discuss the emotional moment and Dr Sarah Rawlings from the MS Society said the response was “incredible”. Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, she explained: “Living with MS can be debilitating, exhausting and unpredictable. But since her diagnosis in 2021, Christina Applegate has used her platform to speak out about the condition and raise much-needed awareness. To see her presenting at the Emmys and receiving such an incredible response will have meant a lot to the MS community.”

Dr Rawlings, Executive Director of Research and External Affairs at the MS Society, added: “MS is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, and can cause a range of symptoms. But we want everyone affected by MS to know they’re not alone – you can call our free MS Helpline for confidential emotional support or you can go to our website at www.mssociety.org.uk for information.”

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