US actress Christina Applegate was immortalized with a star plaque on Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame” on Monday. The ceremony didn’t go as glamorously as the longtime film and TV star (“A Terrible Nice Family”) had hoped.
The actress, who has multiple sclerosis, used a cane and also had to be supported by her colleague Katey Sagal. But that’s exactly why guests and fans give Applegate loud applause. It was the 50-year-old’s first major appearance after speaking very openly about her illness in various interviews.
The mother of a daughter was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2021. The autoimmune disease is insidious and has turned her life completely upside down, the actress said in an interview with “Variety”. At first she wanted to push away the illness. “I didn’t know what was happening to me,” she recalls of the first symptoms. “In January my toes went numb and I ignored it. The balls of my feet went numb and I ignored it. All of a sudden I started falling over.”
The disease is now also restricting her work. Applegate can currently be seen in the successful Netflix series “Dead to Me”, the filming of the third and final season was also characterized by her illness. On some days she was unable to climb stairs, which is why the team, who supported her very much, just rearranged things, according to the 50-year-old. Working 18-hour days on the film set is no longer possible for her at the moment, and she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to stand in front of a camera again, Applegate said.
But she was determined to fight against further restrictions with all her strength. At the same time, she finds it difficult to accept the diagnosis and its consequences. Among other things, she gained 15 kilograms, and the walking stick is now her companion more often. Both are very depressing, Applegate continued in the “Variety” interview.
The award on the “Walk of Fame” was all the more important to the US star. As a child, Applegate said she used to stand here on Hollywood Boulevard, look at the plaques of famous people and wish she could have a star. She thanked friends, colleagues and family for their thoughtful support.
The “most important person in this world” is her 11-year-old daughter Sadie, Applegate said through tears. During her brief speech, she also referred to her frail condition herself. “I have an illness. Do you notice that?“. She couldn’t even wear shoes, said Applegate, who showed up to the ceremony barefoot.
Applegate was best known as the naïve daughter Kelly Bundy in the hit TV series Awfully Nice Family in the 1990s. TV stars Ed O’Neill and Katey Sagal played parents Peggy and Al Bundy on the sitcom. As a guest speaker, Sagal (68) recognized the humor, strength and talent of her film daughter on Monday. Sagal said she learned so much from 16-year-old Applegate.
