Actress Christina Applegate tweeted Tuesday that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few months ago. She wrote, “Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey…” and mentioned the support of others who have the same condition.
Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some asshole blocks it.
— christina applegate (@1capplegate) August 10, 2021
She followed up with another tweet, “As one of my friends that has MS said “ we wake up and take the indicated action”. And that’s what I do. So now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing. Thank you xo.”
As one of my friends that has MS said “ we wake up and take the indicated action”. And that’s what I do. So now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing. Thank you xo
— christina applegate (@1capplegate) August 10, 2021
One of the replies to her tweet was from actress Selma Blair, who was herself diagnosed with MS in 2018. She wrote, “Loving you always. Always here. As are our kids. Beating us up with love.”
Loving you always. Always here. As are our kids. Beating us up with love
— Selma Blair (@SelmaBlair) August 10, 2021
Christina Applegate has been very open about her health struggles in the past. In 2008, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. She also revealed she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. She told the Today Show, “My cousin passed away from ovarian cancer in 2008. I could prevent that. That’s how I’ve taken control of everything. It’s a relief. That’s one other thing off the table. Now let’s hope I don’t get hit by a bus.” Applegate carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, which indicates a higher likelihood of developing those cancers. Angelina Jolie had the same gene, and underwent the same procedures. She wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about her decision, saying, “I feel feminine and grounded in the choices I am making for myself and my family. I know my children will never have to say, ‘Mom died of ovarian cancer.’”
Applegate is currently starring in the Netflix show “Dead to Me,” which will return for a third and final season which will probably premiere in late 2021 or early 2022. She first became well-known when she starred as Kelly Bundy on “Married…With Children” in the late ’80s and early ’90s. She’s had many TV and movie roles since, including in “Bad Moms,” “Vacation,” and “Anchorman.” She’s married to husband Martyn LeNoble and they have a ten-year-old daughter.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the brain and spinal cord. It can cause permanent damage or nerve deterioration, but treatment can help those with MS recover quicker from attacks and manage their symptoms. Symptoms can vary a lot, and it often depends on which nerves are affected. Some people with MS aren’t able to walk, while others can have long periods of being in remission without new symptoms.
There are several celebrities who have announced they have multiple sclerosis. Selma Blair, as we noted above, was diagnosed in 2018. Her first public appearance after she announced her diagnosis was at the Oscars in 2019, where she completely killed it in an amazing dress and a cane that made her look like a queen:
Wow. Incredibly powerful moment on the #VanityFair red carpet. @SelmaBlair broke down in tears “it took a lot to come out here” She recently opened up about her battle with MS. The entire room cheered her on. @CBSLA pic.twitter.com/6LhPjPJ00X
— Lesley Marin (@lesleymarin) February 25, 2019
In talking about her diagnosis afterwards, Blair told “Good Morning America” that she had been struggling with flare-ups since her son was born in 2011 but didn’t know what they were. She had a hard time getting doctors to take her symptoms seriously, and after her diagnosis where doctors found 20 different MS-related lesions in her brain she says she felt relief. “When I got the diagnosis I cried with some relief. Like, ‘Oh, good, I’ll be able to do something.'”
She wrote to fans, “I have #multiplesclerosis,” she wrote. “I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken GPS. But we are doing it. And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best.” In a strange Hollywood twist, the doctor who diagnosed her was Jason Berkley, D.O., a neurologist and the brother of Elizabeth Berkley from “Saved by the Bell.”
Other celebrities who have MS include former talk show host Montel Williams, who founded the Montel Williams MS Foundation. “The Sopranos” actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler has said that in the final episode of the show, Meadow runs across the street to meet her family for dinner…and that was the last time Jamie ever ran herself. She takes MS medications and says it is manageable. Jack Osbourne, son of Ozzy and Sharon learned he had multiple sclerosis in 2012. Actress Teri Garr, Fox News host Neil Cavuto, and Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne have all been diagnosed with MS. Perhaps the first celebrity who ever went public with their multiple sclerosis diagnosis was Annette Funicello who announced she had MS in 1992 when she was 50. She had a severe form of multiple sclerosis and eventually was unable to walk – first using a cane and then a wheelchair.
One other tweet responding to Christina Applegate’s announcement was from the National MS Society, and thanked her for bringing awareness to the disease…which was probably why she made her announcement in the first place.
Thank you, Christina, for your courage in opening up about living with MS. We all appreciate the awareness that you are bringing to the disease. Please know that we at the MS Society are here to help in whatever way that we can.
— National MS Society (@mssociety) August 10, 2021
We wish her all the best and are sending healing thoughts!movie roles
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