The Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor Christina Applegate announced on Aug. 9, 2021, that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), an incurable disease of the central nervous system that can lead to fatigue, numbness and problems with vision, and a shortened life expectancy.
In a pair of tweets posted on Aug. 9, Applegate wrote:
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.
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.
Applegate began her career as a child actor, appearing as Kelly Bundy in the popular sitcom "Married With Children," before going on to star in the NBC sitcom "Jesse," as well as playing the role of newsreader Veronica Corningstone in the "Anchorman" movie series, and most recently starring in and executive-producing the Netflix series "Dead to Me."
In 2003, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Amy Green, sister of Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) in the long-running hit sitcom "Friends."
In 2008, Applegate survived breast cancer after undergoing a double mastectomy.
Research funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimated that in 2017, nearly one million adults in the United States — close to four in every one thousand people — were living with multiple sclerosis, a disease in which the body's immune system damages nerve fibers and causes a variety of neurological, physical and psychological symptons.
Multiple sclerosis is treatable, but a cure has not yet been found, and those diagnosed with the disease typically have a life expectancy that is five to 10 years lower than average.