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Christina Applegate is getting real about how her battle with multiple sclerosis has affected her mental health, saying that she feels trapped in "darkness" and doesn't "enjoy living."
The Dead to Me star opened up about the scary "fatalistic" feelings she has been experiencing during Tuesday's (June 4) episode of her MeSsy podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, revealing that she hasn't felt this way in decades. Applegate, who received her MS diagnosis in 2021, got brutally honest about how her depression has impacted her will to live, saying, "I don't enjoy living... I don't enjoy things anymore," per Page Six.
"I'm in a depression right now, which I don't think I've felt that for years," she said, adding, "Like a real, f***-it-all depression where it's kind of scaring me, too, a little bit because it feels really fatalistic. I'm trapped in, like, this darkness right now that I haven't felt [in], like, I don't even know how long, probably 20-something years."
Sigler, who has been battling MS for more than 20 years, noted that the disease can cause many struggles as one navigates living in a "disabled body." However, she stressed to her friend that it is "not a reason enough for you to stop living," telling Applegate that she makes her "laugh like nobody else can."
"You still make me smile," she said. "You make me feel loved. I can't let you give up. I can't. I need you to do it for me."
While Applegate stated that she will reconnect with her therapist, she said she is "so afraid" to make that return and "for those floodgates to open ... that I won't be able to stop."
According to Page Six, the episode was recorded following Applegate's surprise appearance at the 2024 Emmy Awards where she received a tear-jerking standing ovation. Despite the heartwarming response, she said it was the "hardest day" of her life that had her sleeping for the next two days.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, there is help. Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 24/7 by dialing "988," reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting "HOME" to 741741, or visit 988lifeline.org.