Christina Applegate refused to let her recent multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis get in the way of finishing her story for Netflix's hit show Dead to Me.
The Hollywood star told The New York Times that she felt that she 'had an obligation' to see through her role as Jen Harding alongside Linda Cardellini's character Judy Hale.
"The powers that be were like, 'Let’s just stop. We don’t need to finish it. Let’s put a few episodes together'," Applegate said.
But the Anchorman star was having precisely zero of that for an ending for the show.
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"I said, 'No. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms'."
Production of the hit Netflix show shut down as she began treatment in the wake of her shock diagnosis.
Applegate told The New York Times that some people seemed to believe that if they 'get her some medicine' she would get better.
But that's not how it works with MS, which is an incurable degenerative disease.
"There is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time," Applegate said.
She revealed that Dead to Me's third season will be the 'first time anyone’s going to see me the way [she really is]'.
"I put on [18 kilograms]. I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that," she said.
The actor took to Twitter in August to inform her fans and followers about her diagnosis, saying that she intends to 'keep going'.
In the post, the 49-year-old Hollywood star said it had been a 'tough road' but she's remaining positive.
She said: "Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It's been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition.
"It's been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some asshole blocks it. As one of my friends that has MS said 'we wake up and take the indicated action'. And that's what I do.
"So now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing. Thank you xo."
MS is a condition that affects the central nervous system, causing symptoms such as fatigue, tremors, slurred speech, loss of vision and weakness in limbs.
In the UK, around 7,000 people are diagnosed with MS every year. Around 2.3 million people have been diagnosed with it worldwide.
Dead to Me's third and final season lands on Netflix on November 17.
Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Health
Rachel Lang