“I’ve gained 40 pounds!”: Christina Applegate, 51, opens up about her changing body after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, adding that she doesn’t “feel” like herself
Christina Applegate opened up about her health struggles in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times.
The 51-year-old longtime actress shared that she gained 40 pounds following her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
It changed how she saw herself.
“I gained 40 pounds due to inactivity and medication, and I didn’t look like myself and I didn’t feel like myself,” the actress told Married… With Kids.
Applegate had to film her dark Netflix comedy Dead To Me despite her body changing. She was so upset with her looks that she refused to watch the show, she shared.
Vulnerable: Christina Applegate opened up about her health struggles in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times. Left in mid-January and right at the Dead To Me Season 1 premiere in 2019 in Santa Monica, California
She’s Always Been Skinny: Seen right with Gwyneth Paltrow, left, in the 2003 film View From The Top
Referring to her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, she said, “I don’t like to see myself fight.”
The mother-of-one said: “Eventually I was able to let go of my own ego and realized what a beautiful piece of television it was.
“All the scenes that I didn’t act in were so much fun to see and experience for the first time,” the LA native continued.
Applegate was diagnosed with MS while filming the third installment in the series, which also stars Linda Cardellini as Judy Hale.
As widowed mom in town Jen Harding, who directed the show, Christina’s performance earned her a SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Comedy Series.
Elsewhere in the interview, the entertainer revealed that the upcoming 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards could mark her final appearance as a working actress.
“It’s probably my last awards show as an actor, so it’s a big deal,” said the Married With Child star.
Though she won’t be appearing on screen, Christina told the outlet that she’s pursuing voiceover work.
Hit show: The 51-year-old longtime actress said she’s gained weight, adding that it “took me months” to see herself on the third season of Netflix dark comedy Dead to Me
“I do a hell of a lot of voiceovers to make some money, to make sure my daughter gets fed and we’re home,” she joked.
She was referring to the child she shares with husband Martyn LeNoble, Sadie Grace LeNoble, 12.
Dead To Me premiered in 2019 and its final episode aired in November 2022.
On the set: Seen with Linda Cardellini. Referring to her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, she said, “I don’t like to see myself fighting.”
The comedy series follows Jen (Christina) who, after losing her husband to a hit-and-run, meets fellow widower Judy Hale (Linda) at a grief counseling session.
The duo form an unlikely friendship that leads to Jen making Judy a part of her life and that of her children.
But the drama unfolds when it is revealed that Judy is harboring a dark secret that will change life as they know it.
Speaking to the LA Times, Christina said she was “a wreck every day” as she filmed the final season of Dead To Me while “struggling” with her MS symptoms.
“But most of it happened alone in my trailer,” she recalled.
Production was briefly halted for five months to allow her to undergo the treatment she needed.
Career milestone: Christina received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last November