Breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate was seen puffing on a cigarette amid her ongoing health battle with multiple sclerosis, exclusive DailyMail.com photos show.
The 52-year-old actress, who’s known to have suffered a number of health issues throughout her adult life, has been open about living with MS since being diagnosed with the autoimmune disease three years ago.
But it seems the mom-of-one has been unable to shake off one unhealthy habit even with her current condition, as she couldn’t help but indulge in a cigarette in Los Angeles last week.
DailyMail.com photos show Applegate stopping for a quick smoke break outside of her car ahead of an appointment near Hollywood last Thursday.
Christina Applegate was seen indulging in a cigarette as she headed to an appointment in LA last week
The 52-year-old actress, who’s known to have suffered a number of health issues throughout her adult life, has apparently been unable to shake off one unhealthy habit even with her current condition
The Married…with Children alum, who was accompanied by a dark-haired female friend, went makeup free and was dressed casually for the outing.
She had her hair tied up in a loose messy bun, and wore a gray graphic tank top. She was also seen sporting a blue bandage wrapped around her right hand.
Applegate has spoken candidly about her health issues throughout the years, which include a bout with early stage breast cancer that saw her undergo a double mastectomy in 2008.
She subsequently made a full recovery only to face a more severe health battle 13 years later in 2021 when she announced she had been diagnosed with MS and will unlikely act on camera again.
The illness, in which the immune system attacks the body and causes nerve damage to the brain and spinal cord, is an incurable, lifelong condition. Symptoms can be mild in some, and in others more extreme causing severe disability.
The cause of the disease is unclear and may be genetic, but it’s not directly hereditary.
Smoking and low vitamin D levels are also linked to MS.
Just last week Applegate appeared on James Corden’s SiriusXM podcast This Life of Mine where she credited reality television with helping her get through her MS treatments.
Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Applegate stopping for a quick smoke break outside of her car ahead of an appointment near Hollywood
The Married…with Children alum, who was accompanied by a dark-haired female friend, went makeup free and was dressed casually for the outing
She had her hair tied up in a loose messy bun, and wore a gray graphic tank top. She was also seen sporting a blue bandage wrapped around her right hand
‘Anyone who knows me well knows that it’s on 24/7 in my room because I don’t leave my room very often,’ the 52-year-old Emmy winner said of her $950K Hollywood Hills home.
‘I know that sounds really depressing, but it’s kind of like I just need to sleep sometimes.’
As for her favorites, Christina seems to keep her TV locked on the cable network Bravo.
‘Reality TV. Everything. Give me any of it. Give me a Vanderpump [Rules], give me a Below Deck, give me a housewife,’ she told Corden.
‘I love watching the imperfections of real people really like, wow. Those people exist. I love that.
‘That’s why I love reality TV, because they freak me out that they walk this earth acting like that.’
During the podcast, pre-taped on April 8, Applegate also tearfully recalled the moments leading up to her diagnosis, revealing she received the tragic news on a Zoom call with her doctor on the set of Netflix’s Dead to Me.
‘He just looked at me and he goes, “I’m so sorry,” and I was like, “What do you mean?” and he goes, “Here’s a picture of your brain,”‘ Applegate said tearing up.
‘Sorry. And there’s like 30 lesions all over my brain. I went, “No, please don’t tell me this. Please don’t tell me this.” I had to call production. I said, “You guys, it’s f***ing MS.” And they’re like, “Okay, we’re shutting down for the week.”
Over the years, Applegate’s daughter Sadie has escorted her mother to various star-studded events like the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards and the 2024 Emmy Awards
Applegate teamed up with Jamie-Lynn Sigler – who’s had MS for 22 years – to co-produce and co-host a podcast called MeSsy, which launched on March 19
Applegate has recently teamed up with Jamie-Lynn Sigler – a fellow MS patient who has battled the disease for 22 years – to co-produce and co-host a podcast called MeSsy, which launched on March 19.
The Hollywood star and the 43-year-old Sopranos alum since interviewed their celebrity pals Martin Short, Jimmy Kimmel, Jean Smart, Katie Couric, and Will Ferrell.
Earlier this year she also hosted her daughter Sadie on the podcast, where the 13-year-old spoke about struggling to watch her mother’s battle with MS.
While welcoming the teen to the show, Applegate described her daughter as the best guest she ‘could possibly ever have’ and her reason to ‘get up in the morning.’
Over the years, Sadie has escorted her mother to various star-studded events like the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards and the 2024 Emmy Awards.
In March, Applegate admitted that multiple sclerosis has changed her ability to parent.
‘She’s had to see the loss of her mom, in the way that I was a mom with her,’ the actress told People. ‘Dancing with her every day. Picking her up from school every day. Working at her school, working in the library. Being present out of the house, out of my bed. She doesn’t see those things anymore.’
She added: ‘This is a loss for her as well. And we’re both learning as we’re going along.’
