Christina Applegate made a rare public appearance at the Emmy’s, the Dead to Me actress walked up on stage to a standing ovation from the audience, but some were surprised to see Applegate using a cane to aid her.
Christina came out to present the best supporting actress in a comedy series award; which was won by Ayo Edebiri. She was escorted out by the evening’s host, Anthony Anderson, and when the audience stood up to clap for her as she walked to the podium she couldn’t resist making a lighthearted quip about her own illness, “You’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up. It’s fine.”
What is Christina Applegate’s illness?
In 2021 the actress was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 49. This was during the filming of the third and final season of Dead to Me. The condition affects the brain and spinal cord which in turn can cause problems with vision, balance and coordination of limbs. In most cases, symptoms can be treated but unfortunately it’s a lifelong condition.
Multiple Sclerosis is most often diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 to 40, although it can be diagnosed earlier or later in Applegate’s case. The condition slightly reduces the average life expectancy and it’s also much more likely in women than it is in men.
Whilst Applegate was able to finish filming the hit Netflix dramedy she admitted in her speech at the Emmy’s that it would most likely be her final ever role; the process of filming her parts had to be changed to accommodate for her MS, it was difficult, but Christina and the crew were able to work it out. She received a nod at the Emmy’s for her performance on the show.
Many fellow actresses and actors showed their support for Christina, praising her decades-long career which started before she even turned one, in fact, she was just 3 months old when she made her television debut alongside her mother in Days of Our Lives. Of course, since then the actress has gone on to make a name for herself, appearing in TV shows and films like Married… with Children, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Her IMDb page does still show one upcoming project which is in pre-production but it’s unclear if we’ll ever get to see Applegate in it or not. With little chance of her condition improving, it seems the actress has made peace with her diagnosis, she’s not let it stop her from attending events such as the Emmys, she’s been able to adapt and overcome and make a few jokes about it along the way.