Christina Applegate believes she was living with MS for years before she was diagnosed

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Christina Applegate is part of a sisterhood she never wanted to be.

In a conversation on “Good Morning America” that aired on Wednesday, the “Dead To Me” star was joined by her friend Jamie-Lynn Sigler to talk about living with multiple sclerosis (MS).

They both have the autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. Applegate credited Selma Blair, who was diagnosed with MS in 2018 and had co-starred with Applegate in “The Sweetest Thing,” with encouraging her to see a doctor.

“She goes ‘You need to be checked for MS.’ I said ‘No, really?,” Applegate recalled. “The odds, the two of us from the same movie, come on, that’s not gonna be, that doesn’t happen. If not for her, it could have been way worse.”

Applegate first shared she was diagnosed with MS in August of 2021. She said she now realizes that she probably had it for years prior to her diagnosis.

The former “Married with Children” star has found support in Sigler, who has been living with the disease for more than 20 years.

Now the pair are launching a podcast titled “Messy,” in which they promise real conversations about the messiness of life and living with MS.

“I’ve been playing a character called Christina for 40 years,” Applegate said. “I was kind of putting on a little act for everybody for so long. I just thought that was easier to be light, be funny, don’t make people feel uncomfortable and I don’t care anymore.”

Sigler is right there to support her.

“After we recorded our first episode and we listened to it, the first thing I did was call her. And I was like, I am so excited for people to get to know this Christina,” she said. “I just feel like I have a front row seat for – I know it’s hard and I know it’s hard to see -but like a really beautiful chapter for her. I really believe that.”

The first episode of “Messy” is out March 19.

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