Christina Applegate was the one who starred in one of the most special moments of the Primetime Emmys evening when she received a standing ovation for presenting a category. The iconic actress of The Sweetest Thing has been dealing with an incurable illness for a couple of years, which has reduced her mobility.
The star attended the award ceremony in a velvet dress designed by Christian Siriano to present the award for Best Supporting Actress in a comedy series. Accompanied by host Anthony Anderson, she expressed gratitude for the warmth and didn’t hesitate to entertain the audience with her eloquence.
“Thank you so much. Oh my God, you’re totally embarrassing me with the standing ovation for the disability. It’s okay… This body is not because of Ozempic”, joked the 52-year-old celebrity who has been nominated for an Emmy for her role in the acclaimed Netflix series Dead to Me.
What disease does Christina Applegate suffer from?
The renowned actress from Married… with Children revealed in 2021 that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). It was detected while filming the third season of the Netflix series Dead to Me, for which she has been nominated for an Emmy Award for her work in the role of Jen Harding over 30 episodes.
Christina Applegate and host Anthony Anderson speak onstage during the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards. (Source: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. It can cause a variety of symptoms, such as difficulty walking or maintaining balance, muscle stiffness, fatigue, vision problems and difficulty thinking clearly, among others.
Has she stopped working because of her illness?
As multiple sclerosis can affect balance and speech, the actress had to step away from the cameras and her work. During the red carpet of the 2023 SAG Awards, Applegate made it clear that she had no plans to continue acting due to her increasingly limited physical abilities.
Days before the significant award ceremony, she also confessed to Variety in an interview that the disease has significantly impacted her daily life. She said, “I gained 40 pounds due to inactivity and medications, and I didn’t look or feel like myself. At some point, I was able to distance myself from my own ego and realize how beautiful television was. All the scenes I wasn’t in were really fun to watch and experience for the first time“.
When asked about her future, she revealed that at the moment, she has no intentions of returning to film any projects but doesn’t rule out “doing a ton of shitty voiceovers to make some money to make sure my daughter is fed and we’re at home“.
