Christina Applegate opens up on heartbreak of feeling like a ‘burden’ amid health diagnosis

Christina Applegate has opened up about her ongoing battle with multiple sclerosis and how she sometimes feels like a 'burden' to her loved ones.

The Dead to Me star, 52, publicly revealed her MS diagnosis in 2021 and has been open about her health in the years since.

According to the NHS, MS affects the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement and balance. It is a lifelong condition that cannot be cured.

In a new episode of her MeSsy podcast, which she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Christina revealed how her health struggles sometimes make her feel like a 'burden' to her daughter Sadie, 13.

The mum-of-one, who shares Sadie with husband Martyn LeNoble, spoke about a recent family trip to the Netherlands and how she began wondering if things would be 'easier' for everyone if she 'wasn't here'.

"I've often thought it would be easier on everyone if I wasn't here, you know? That's a thought," Christina told her co-host Jamie-Lynn.

Christina Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021. (Steve Granitz/WireImage)

"Like, wouldn't it be so much easier and not a burden on my daughter who was on vacation and watching her mom sleep all day?" she heartbreakingly said.

Christina said she even struggles to sit through a film with her daughter as her 'legs hurt too much' due to her health condition.

The star added: "Just things like that. I think, 'What is this doing to her?' And that's where my heart breaks constantly."

However, Christina's trip to the Netherlands proved to have positives for her, as she spoke of experiencing a 'superpower' of some kind while away.

She revealed she was able to walk 9,000 steps without her cane, despite usually only averaging around 2,000 per day.

Christina is mum to 13-year-old Sadie. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The increase in movement took its toll though, with Christina saying she slept for hours afterwards and her body felt like it was shutting down.

The actor said her daughter came to check on her while she was asleep and 'kissed her forehead' in a sweet moment, prompting her to 'begin crying' after Sadie left.

Christina said she became emotional after realising her daughter was missing her, and she wasn't there 'to make her dinner or anything'.

Christina revealed her MS diagnosis on X (Twitter) back in 2021, writing: "It's been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition."