Dead To Me actress Christina Applegate took to Twitter in August 2021 to share the news that she'd been diagnosed with MS.
READ: Christina Applegate details debilitating MS symptoms
Since opening up about her illness, the 51-year-old has kept fans updated, though she is not the first celebrity to give an insight into multiple sclerosis.
WATCH: Official trailer for Dead to Me season two on Netflix
Multiple sclerosis, often referred to as MS, is a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. It typically begins between the ages of 30 and 50, and it is more common in women. Once you have been diagnosed, it stays with you for life.
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Read on for all the celebrities who have spoken about their MS diagnosis.
Christina Applegate's MS diagnosis
© Photo: Getty ImagesChristina Applegate was diagnosed with MS in 2021
The Sweetest Thing star was taken aback by her diagnosis, explaining on Twitter in August 2021: "Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS.
MORE: Netflix star Christina Applegate shocks fans with devastating health update
"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..."
Of her symptoms, the Dead to Me star said she has experienced numbness and tingling in her extremities – hallmarks of the neurological condition – insomnia and said she is unable to move around without a walking stick, an aid she previously said is "now part of my new normal".
On whether she will continue to work, Christina told People filming the final season of Dead To Me was: "As hard as you would possibly think it would be.
"There's no way I could do the work that I just came off again. I mean, it was so hard," she added.
Christina shared that she was only able to work five hours a day because she is "tired all the time", but that her co-stars and colleagues had been understanding and loving throughout the process.
Selma Blair's MS battle
© Photo: Getty ImagesSelma Blair has been vocal raising awareness about MS
Christina's Sweetest Thing co-star Selma Blair, 50, also has MS and shared how her and Christina have been there for one another.
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"Christina still supports me. She's just a strong one. She really is. She's such a nurturer," Selma told Entertainment Tonight. "If you need something she's at your house. She's just amazing and strong and fun."
Selma was diagnosed with MS in 2018, sharing the news on Instagram. "I have #multiplesclerosis. I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken GPS," she wrote. "But we are doing it."
In January 2019, she once again updated her fans on Instagram with her symptoms, saying that the disease is: "Uncomfortable. It is a stadium of uncontrollable anxiety at times. Going out, being sociable holds a heavy price. My brain is on fire. I am freezing. We feel alone with it even though the loving support has been a god send and appreciated."
Jack Osbourne's MS battle
© Photo: Getty ImagesJack Osbourne lives with MS
Jack Osbourne, 37, was diagnosed with MS when he was 26, sharing the news exclusively with HELLO! in 2012.
Jack realised something wasn't right when he lost vision in his right eye, and said of his diagnosis: "While I was waiting for the final results, I got really, really angry. Then I got really sad for about two days, and after that I realised: 'Being angry and upset is not going to do anything at this point, if anything it's only going to make it worse… 'adapt and overcome' is my new motto".
SEE: Jack Osbourne's adorable daughter has fans saying the same thing
Before his sight loss, Jack told Healthline he experienced pinching and numbness in his legs for three months.
"I ignored the pinching in my leg because I thought I just pinched a nerve," he said. "Even when I got diagnosed, I thought, 'Aren’t I too young to get this?' Now, I know the average age of diagnosis is between 20 and 40."
Jamie-Lynne Sigler's MS battle
© Photo: Getty ImagesJamie-Lynne Sigler kept her MS a secret for 15 years
Sopranos actress Jamie-Lynne Sigler, 41, was diagnosed with MS at 19 years old, but kept her illness under wraps for 15 years, sharing her condition in 2016.
In a candid interview, Jamie-Lynn said she hadn't previously felt emotionally prepared to reveal her condition to the public.
"I wasn't ready until now," Jamie-Lynn told People. "You'd think that after all these years, somebody would be settled with something like this, but it's still quite hard to accept."
The star said she was symptom-free "for quite some time", but that the disease, which damages the central nervous system, had "reared its ugly head over the past decade.
"I can't walk for long periods of time without resting," she revealed, adding with a laugh: "No superhero roles for me! Stairs? I can do them, but they are not the easiest. When I walk, I have to think about every single step, which is annoying and frustrating."
Emma Caulfield's MS battle
© Photo: Getty ImagesEmma Caulfield didn't share her diagnosis for 10 years
Wandavision and Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Emma Caulfield, 49, went public with her MS diagnosis in October 2022, after keeping her illness under wraps for 10 years before talking about it with Vanity Fair.
Emma said her MS first flared up following a traumatic time in her life in 2010, but symptoms faded away, leading her to wonder if she'd been misdiagnosed.
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However, when she was filming Wandavision, the heat on set caused her symptoms to materialise.
Speaking of her initial diagnosis in 2010, Emma, whose father also had MS, told Vanity Fair: "I woke up one morning and the left side of my face felt like there were a million ants crawling on it," before losing feeling.
"I was so overwhelmed and pretty hysterical," Emma said of finding out the news.
She gave details of how the heat affects her, too, saying: "Heat is awful for people with MS. You're just moving along just fine. And everything starts to feel like you are in tar.
"It's like, "I don’t want to keep going right now." I just need to sit down. Like heat exhaustion."
If your life is impacted by MS, visit MS Society UK
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