Christina Applegate is opening up about her battle with multiple sclerosis like never before. The actress, who has hinted at retiring amid her health struggles, was diagnosed in 2021.
The “Married… with Children” alum, 52, and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, 42, who also has MS, sat down with People where they spoke about the highs and lows of the disease.
Applegate explained that she lost 30 pounds recently after initially gaining 45 as her illness progressed.
When she made her surprise Emmys appearance in January, she joked that her “body [was] not by Ozempic.”
The “Hall Pass” actress told the outlet she was questioned if she lost weight by using the diabetes drug.
Applegate was hospitalized “many times” for her symptoms and medical professionals didn’t know “what was wrong” at the time.
“But we’re pretty sure my stomach and my intestines are not very good friends. It causes me intense pain and vomiting,” Applegate said.
“I gained 45 lbs. when I was diagnosed, from steroids and lack of mobility. It’s just a body that doesn’t feel right. And I’ve lost 30-something,” she continued. “People are like, ‘What have you been doing?’ And I’m like, ‘Vomiting.’ Not Ozempic. Barfing.”
Other symptoms Applegate has experienced includes peeing in her pants “because [I] probably can’t get to the bathroom in time,” she explained.
Therefore, diapers are a major necessity for her day-to-day routine. In the chat, she then pulled down her pants and showed off her floral-stamped adult undergarments.
“And we have a bone to pick with the designers, because who wants a beautiful flower on your diaper? It should really say “F— my life,” Sigler chimed in.
However, the women quipped that MS has “some benefits.”
“First of all, parking is awesome,” Applegate laughed.
“There could be a cure for MS, and I will not give up my handicap placard. We earned it!” the “Big Sky” actress interjected.
The actors connected in 2021 after their mutual friend Lance Bass put them in touch. While Applegate only recently began fighting MS, Sigler has been living with the illness for more than two decades.
The pair are now releasing a new podcast together titled MeSsy, which will drop on March 19.
They also stopped by Good Morning America, where Applegate looked back on her Emmys appearance.
“I kind of blacked out,” she told host Robin Roberts on Wednesday. “People said, ‘Oh you were so funny,’ and I’m like, ‘I don’t even know what I said. I don’t know what I was doing.’ I got so freaked out that I didn’t even know what was happening anymore. And I felt really beloved, and it was a beautiful thing.”
“I probably shouldn’t say this, that audience stood up for everybody,” she guffawed.