Christina Applegate has opened up about an unexpected trick she uses to manage the pain from multiple sclerosis (MS), around five years after being diagnosed.
The actor, known for roles in Dead To Me, Married… With Children, Anchorman, and Bad Moms, revealed her MS diagnosis in 2021 and has continued to speak publicly about what living with the condition is like.
According to the MS Trust, MS impacts the brain and spinal cord and can reduce life expectancy by roughly six to seven years.
While there’s currently no cure, treatments can help people manage symptoms. MS can cause a wide range of issues, including fatigue, difficulties with walking and mobility, pain, bladder and bowel challenges, and changes to vision.
During a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Applegate explained that when her symptoms flare, she leans on a surprisingly playful coping method.
Her approach is to give different body parts names—especially when they aren’t cooperating. She said her hands, for instance, are called Barbara and Stanley.
She joked: “Barbara is married to Stanley. Barbara’s gay. She has, like, a friend that she lives with. He does [know], but he loves her.”
Gesturing to her left leg, Applegate told Kimmel she’s even named it Meghan Markle.
“That’s not a bad thing,” she insisted.
“I think she’s probably going to be mad about that,” Applegate added, “but it’s really not a bad thing. It’s really like, ‘Can you just please help me, Meghan!'”
She also shared that her right leg has its own name too: Tootie.
Kimmel then asked whether she actually speaks to Barbara, Stanley, Meghan, and Tootie. Applegate confirmed she does—and said it seems to make a difference when her body feels unpredictable.
She revealed: “When they get weird we yell at them and say, ‘Hey, man. Stop it.'”
Although Applegate kept the tone light in the interview, she has previously been candid about how difficult day-to-day life with MS can be.
In a conversation last year, she admitted she rarely goes out now.
She shared on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast: “If people saw what my life was like on the daily, they wouldn’t they wouldn’t be able to do it. Because I can sometimes not do it. It’s really, really hard.”
“I don’t really leave the house anymore,” Applegate added. She also spoke about wrestling with painful questions, including whether she had done “something wrong” to end up with the disease.
Applegate has also faced serious health challenges before. In 2008, at 36, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After undergoing a double mastectomy, she has been in remission for more than 17 years.