Jordan Karlesson
Hearts continue to pour out for Christina Applegate after the actress disclosed last year that she is suffering from multiple sclerosis.
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On Thursday, Applegate made another revelation, this time to Kelly Clarkson. The former Married … with Children actress divulged the first reaction she had to her MS diagnosis.
You’d probably think it’d be maudlin — but it wasn’t. In actuality, Applegate’s memory brought the audience of The Kelly Clarkson Show from dead silence to laughter.
“Can I say, ‘It sucked balls’?” she deadpanned.
Applegate Gives a Primer on MS
On a much more serious note, Christina Applegate also educated both Clarkson and her audience with rarely discussed information about the disease.
“There’s four different kinds of MS,” Applegate said. “So not everyone is the same. Everyone’s symptoms are different. Everyone’s experience with it is different. Every day is different.”
Applegate, 50, said she first noticed her symptoms back in Season 1 of her Netflix hit Dead to Me. She found herself off-balance during a dance scene.
“I wish I had paid attention,” she told the New York Times. “But who was I to know?”
Once Applegate received her MS diagnosis, she took some time away from filming the show.
She told Clarkson on Thursday that it’s important for people learning about MS to know the diversity of impacts it can have.
“Shooting the show was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she added. “I was diagnosed during shooting. I didn’t know what was happening to me, [and] I couldn’t walk. They had to use a wheelchair to get me to set. I was freaking out until someone said, ‘You need an MRI.’”
She continued: “I found out on a Monday after work that I had MS, a disease I’m going to have for the rest of my life. And then I started thinking about the last four years, and I had very small symptoms. … Let’s not all be hypochondriacs and run to the doctor when our leg gets weak, but …”
“But be aware,” Clarkson chimed in.
