Christina Applegate says showering has become 'frightening' for her since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
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- Christina Applegate explained that it's "frightening" for her to get into her glass shower now.
- She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021 and said she has many "little shitty days."
- She's become a disability advocate but told Vanity Fair she's unsure she'll ever be on set again.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair's Jessica Shaw, Christina Applegate opened up about the realities of living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and explained why getting into the shower is "frightening" for her now.
"You can fall, you can slip, your legs can buckle," she told Shaw. "Especially because I have a glass shower. It's frightening to me to get in there."
Applegate described her life as being full of "little shitty days" and said she "never" has a good day. "It fucking sucks," she added.
The "Dead to Me" star was diagnosed with MS — a neurological disease that has varying symptoms that often affect vision, speech, and mobility — while she was filming the third season of the Netflix dramedy in the summer of 2021. She previously told Variety that though she wanted to finish the show and was surrounded by loving and compassionate people, acting while experiencing her symptoms was "torture."
The "Married...With Children" star told Shaw that along with her other symptoms, she's "immunocompromised" so she doesn't want to be around too many people often.
"I also don't want a lot of stimulation of the nervous system because it can be a little bit too much for me. I like to keep it as quiet and as mellow as possible," Applegate said.
Applegate has become an advocate since being diagnosed, but her own future is still uncertain
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Applegate also opened up about learning to advocate for herself more over the years. The actor, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and had a double mastectomy, said she had to be back to work two weeks after having a breast reconstruction because she didn't work with "sympathetic or empathetic human beings" at that time.
After she was diagnosed with MS, Applegate finished filming "Dead To Me" on her own terms, though there were days when some members of the crew would have to hold her legs to keep her standing so they could get a shot.
Applegate has watched some of "Dead to Me" but because of what she was going through at the time, she said she said the idea of watching it all is "cringey."
"I don't look like myself anymore, obviously," she said.
The "Bad Moms" star said she doesn't know if she'll ever be well enough to act on a set again. "I can do voiceover stuff because I have to support my family and keep my brain working," she clarified.
Applegate said that if "Dead To Me" is nominated for an Emmy, she'll wear a Christian Siriano outfit and take her custom "Fuck you MS" cane. But if she's not nominated, she "probably won't watch, not for any other reason than I'll probably be watching 'Love Island UK.'"