Christina Applegate Gets Emotional During First Public Appearance Since MS Diagnosis

Christina Applegate has made her first public appearance since announcing her MS diagnosis last year on Twitter, and it’s for a very special occasion. The Sweetest Thing star attended her Walk of Fame Hollywood star ceremony yesterday and got understandably emotional during the reveal while speaking about her career, her family, and journey with multiple sclerosis.

She also debuted a cheeky manicure that shares just how she feels about her health.

Applegate sat on a chair and was surrounded by friends and fellow peers in the industry as she removed the plaque to reveal the star. She then had Katie Sagal join her at the podium for her speech, and the actress helped support her while standing. She also carried a sparkling silver and black cane.

After a bit of an awkward back and forth with an administrator from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, she began by saying, “I’ve had a really interesting life. But, the life started as being a little girl, waiting in line to see the first Star Wars, on this very street, at that very theatre, and looking at these [stars] thinking, ‘Who are these people? What do they do? Did they do something right? did they do something wrong? whatever it is, I want one. I effing want one.’”

“This day means more to me than you could possibly imagine,” she continued. “I can’t stand for too long, so I going to thank the people that I really need to thank.”

Christina then got emotional as she thanked her family, her longtime agent, manager, and publicist.

While wrapping up her speech, she held back tears when she got to her daughter, saying, “The most important person in this world is my daughter. You are so much more, so much more than even you know. You are so beautiful and kind and loving and smart and interesting, and I am blessed every day that I get to wake up and take you to your school. You are my everything. Thank you for standing beside me through all of this.”

Applegate, 50, shares 11-year-old Sadie Grace with indie rocker husband Martyn LeNoble.

The comedic actress, of course, cut the sappy tribute with a playful comment, joking, “Oh, by the way, I have a disease. Did you not notice?”

Applegate also made a playful dig at her diagnosis with her manicure, which were black nails with the phrase “F U MS” on her fingertips. Her nail stylist, Vanessa Sanchez, dished about the idea with PopSugar, stating, “A couple of weeks ago, Christina and I started planning her manicure as she knew the upcoming week would be full of events. The week started with today's induction onto the Hollywood walk of fame.”

“Christina told me that she wanted to make a literal statement with her nails and wanted the letters FU MS on her nails," Sanchez added. “We chose to do so in white, so it stood out on top of the moody, rich red color. We were both thrilled with the way they turned out.”

While the actor has been keeping a low profile since her diagnosis, she’s been emerging before the final season of Dead To Me premieres on November 17. She told The New York Times that she wants people to be aware of her changed health before they see the show.

“I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that,” she said.

MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that doesn’t have a cure. It can manifest in many different ways, but often includes vision loss, pain, fatigue, and impaired coordination.

“There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,’” Applegate recalled in the interview. “And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time.”

It is so meaningful to see Applegate receive her Hollywood star recognition and so powerful to hear her talking so candidly about her health.