Christina Applegate fears MS has ruined her sex life and worries her husband ‘would be better off without her’ – as she tragically reveals she now ‘doesn’t enjoy living’

Sometimes life delivers a blow so tragic that no screenwriter could ever dream of.

In 2021, Christina Applegate experienced something of a career renaissance as she filmed the third season of her hit Netflix series “Dead to Me.”

Applegate first rose to fame in a series of American sitcoms in the late 1990s and later won an Emmy for her role as Rachel’s hilariously bitchy sister in “Friends.”

She went on to appear in the highly successful ‘Anchorman’ franchise and many of her other smaller film projects were all largely well received by critics. But it wasn’t until ‘Dead To Me’ first aired in 2018 that it seemed Applegate – then 46 years old – had finally found her speed.

30 million viewers worldwide watched the first season and critics praised the dark comic book series, with Applegate reportedly raking in $325,000 per episode.

But all that came crashing down with the shocking and sudden diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the summer of 2021 – a brutally debilitating disease that leads to the gradual disability of the central nervous system, and which Applegate has since described as a living disease. hell’.

In the summer of 2021, Applegate received a shocking and sudden diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) – a brutally debilitating disease that leads to the gradual disability of the central nervous system, and which Applegate has since described as a living “hell.”

Filming was postponed for five months as she began intensive treatment.

But life on set quickly became difficult, when Applegate revealed in an interview last year that she tries not to watch the show again.

“I don’t like to see myself struggling,” she told the Los Angeles Times.

Medications and increased inactivity also caused her to gain 40 pounds, causing her to worry that she “didn’t look like a woman.” [herself]’ on screen.

“I thought, ‘Who is this person with 20 chins?’” she said.

The diagnosis must have felt like a particularly cruel irony to Applegate – now 52 – who was named after Andrew Wyeth’s famous painting of a young disabled woman lying in a field and entitled ‘Christina’s World’.

But despite finding the day-to-day reality of her illness “hard to explain to people,” Applegate has been surprisingly open in sharing intimate details about the progression of her condition.

She has said that ‘it is never a good day’ (‘you only have little bad days’), that she can now no longer go down the stairs without help, has difficulty showering and often feels ‘very lonely’.

This week, in a heartbreaking podcast appearance, she revealed that she was consumed by depression so bad that “it scared me a little bit.”

‘I don’t like life. “I don’t enjoy things anymore,” she added.

Applegate has a dedicated team of live-in caregivers in her Hollywood home and relies on the support of her loving husband of more than ten years, Martyn LeNoble, a Dutch musician with whom she shares their 13-year-old daughter Sadie.

But while LeNoble has remained the image of a devoted husband, insiders now say Applegate privately fears “he would be better off without her.”

Applegate relies on the support of her loving husband of over a decade, Martyn LeNoble (pictured together in 2016). But while LeNoble has remained the image of a devoted husband, insiders now say Applegate privately fears “he would be better off without her.”

She has said that ‘it is never a good day’ (‘you only have little bad days’), that she can now no longer go down the stairs without help, has difficulty showering and often feels ‘very lonely’. (Pictured with her family in 2022).

In fact, Applegate worries that her MS has “undoubtedly taken a toll” on their marriage – “particularly on their sex life” – sources revealed exclusively to DailyMail.com.

“MS causes loss of sexual satisfaction, libido and other physical problems that she won’t be able to overcome,” an insider explained.

However, it appears any concerns about the state of her marriage are unfounded, with sources stressing: ‘[LeNoble] loves her so incredibly much and there is nothing that would make him walk away from her or their family.”

Nevertheless, Christina is also said to be concerned about her young daughter. “She feels like Sadie has to take care of her when it should be the other way around,” the source said.

“Christina is doing the best she can, and she knows she is a great role model and inspiration and has so many people who love and support her. It’s just hard to be the one stuck in this position – knowing it’s only going to get worse.”

As for her career, insiders confirmed that Applegate has “given up the idea of ​​acting.”

“She is so grateful for the incredible opportunities she has had in her life, but remorseful for the opportunities she will never have again,” they said.

“One of the hardest things for Christina is knowing that she will never truly be able to do what she loves again. [She feels] trapped in a body that cannot do what her mind wants her to do.”

MS is an incurable condition, with symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, muscle stiffness and spasms, problems with balance and coordination, and sexual dysfunction.

Sources describe how Applegate is regularly in ‘a lot of physical pain’, ‘always tired’ and ‘always needing to go to the toilet’ – making leaving the house very difficult.

Applegate was literally born in 1971 in Hollywood and started her acting career as a baby. She appeared on television shows alongside her soap opera actress mother and in commercials when she was just three months old.

She came of age in the heyday of the 1990s, when a new class of actors including Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves, Drew Barrymore, Wynona Ryder, Leonard DiCaprio, Uma Thurman and Angelina Jolie were all on the brink of superstardom.

Applegate worries her MS has “undoubtedly taken a toll” on their marriage — “particularly their sex life” — as sources exclusively reveal.

Sources describe how Applegate is regularly in ‘a lot of physical pain’, ‘always tired’ and ‘always having to go to the toilet’ – which makes leaving the house very difficult. (Photo: With Jennifer Aniston on the set of ‘Friends’).

She was at the Viper Room nightclub the night River Phoenix famously overdosed on heroin and died in 1993, and she dated Brad Pitt in 1989, when he was still considered a newcomer.

Applegate, an original member of The Pussycat Dolls – which started as a burlesque dance troupe – performed alongside other original stars, including Christina Aguilera and Carmen Electra, before leaving the group in 2003 after seven years to focus on acting.

Her big break came with a ten-year stint on the popular sitcom ‘Married… With Children’, in which she played the role of Kelly Bundy – a promiscuous, promiscuous bimbo.

In 2002, she landed the role of ‘Friends’ before appearing in the first ‘Anchorman’ film in 2004. She also enjoyed starring in Tim Burton’s ‘Mars Attacks!’ and ‘The sweetest’.

Because demand for her was so high, Applegate even turned down an offer to play Elle Woods in ‘Legally Blonde’ – a role that instead took Reese Witherspoon’s career to great heights.

It’s a decision she has since called a “big damn mistake.”

After divorcing her first husband, actor Johnathon Schaech, in 2007, Applegate began quietly dating LeNoble in 2009, before welcoming their daughter in 2011 and getting married in 2013.

While devoting much of her time to motherhood, Applegate starred in a handful of titles such as “Bad Moms” and provided her voice to several animated films.

Later, after filming ‘Dead To Me’ wrapped in 2021, Applegate largely disappeared from public life to focus on her MS treatment.

However, in January this year, Applegate was greeted with a standing ovation when she made a surprise appearance at the Emmys to present an award. She became visibly emotional before joking with the audience: “You’re totally disgracing me, with a disability, by standing up!”

“If I didn’t laugh, I would cry all the time,” she said later.

However, insiders reveal that despite her good mood and positivity, Applegate struggles daily with fears about her condition, especially “knowing it will only get worse.”