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Christina Applegate said staying home without seeing too many people is currently her preferred way to deal with her multiple sclerosis.
“Right now I’m isolating, and that’s kind of how I’m dealing with it, by not going anywhere because I don’t want to do it, it’s hard,” said Applegate, who was diagnosed in 2021.
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The Dead to Me star opened up to Good Morning America coanchor Robin Roberts on Wednesday and spoke candidly about her daily struggles and battle with the disease.
“I live kind of in hell,” said Applegate, 52. “I’m not out a lot, so this is a little difficult, just for my system. But of course, the support is wonderful, and I’m really grateful.”
Help from friend Jamie-Lynn Sigler
The support, she said, comes best from those who understand firsthand what she is going through — including close friend and fellow actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who also suffers from the autoimmune disease. “She’s doing this because I have the tremors,” Applegate said of Sigler, who held her hand during the interview to help with one of the many physical side effects of MS.
“Well, because I love her, but yes,” Sigler said. The Sopranos star, 42, was diagnosed in 2001 while starring in the HBO drama at just 20 years old, but she didn’t go public about it until 2016.
“They call it the invisible disease. It can be very lonely because it’s hard to explain to people,” said Applegate, who is a mom to 13-year-old daughter Sadie. “I’m in excruciating pain, but I’m just used to it now.”
Keeping life quiet and mellow
In May, Applegate told Vanity Fair she doesn’t have friends dropping by to help her, because frankly, she doesn’t want them to. “I actually don’t want to be around a lot of people because I’m immunocompromised,” she said. “I have my friend who lives here during the week, and she helps me take care of Sadie. And then on the weekend, I have a caretaker. I also don’t want a lot of stimulation of the nervous system because it can be a little bit too much for me. I like to keep it as quiet and as mellow as possible.”
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