Applegate’s first symptom

During an episode of SiriusXM’s This Life of Mine with James Corden, Applegate explained how her first symptoms appeared intermittently and did not immediately raise alarm.

“For years and years and years, I’d have, like, some weird things…balance issues, speech issues,” she explained. “My hands would shake sometimes, and I remember playing tennis – I played tennis a couple times a week, and my knee would go out.”

At the time, Applegate – who got her start as a 16-year-old on the TV sitcom Married with Children – assumed she was “dehydrated” or thought it was “too hot.”

Like many people experiencing early MS symptoms, the inconsistencies made it easy to dismiss the warning signs as temporary or unrelated health issues.

Things changed in January 2021 when her “toes got numb.”

“And I ignored it,” she admitted, explaining that she continued hiking despite the “weird muscle spasm.”

Gradually, things started to get “weirder and weirder,” and the symptoms became harder to rationalize.

As production approached for the final season of Dead to Me, her condition worsened significantly. “By this time, I was like, ‘You guys, I can’t even walk up the steps to my trailer.’”

New admission about her life today

In her memoir You With the Sad Eyes, released last month, she shares raw details of what living with the illness is really like.

“When I wake up, I often can’t get my arm to move far enough to grab the cup of water by my bed or my phone from its charger,” she wrote.

Applegate has also revealed that the disease leaves her vulnerable to infections, sometimes forcing her to make repeated trips to the emergency room. She has previously said she’s been hospitalized dozens of times since her diagnosis, often dealing with what she describes as unbearable pain.

Despite everything, she continues to push forward—balancing her health struggles with her work, her podcast MeSsy (co-hosted with fellow MS patient Jamie-Lynn Sigler), and the recent release of her book.

For now, there have been no further updates on her condition, leaving fans concerned — but hopeful — as they wait to hear more. We hope you’re doing well, Christina!