Christina Applegate Shares New Look After Extended Hospital Stay
The actress, battling multiple sclerosis, updated fans with a video showcasing a new blonde hairstyle.
Christina Applegate has made her first public appearance since a months-long hospital stay, sharing a new Instagram video on Monday that revealed a fresh blonde hairstyle. The 54-year-old actress, known for her roles in "Married... With Children" and "Dead to Me," showcased her newly colored and straightened hair, styled by David Stanwell.
In the short video, Applegate sported a black unzipped hoodie over a tank top and jeans, accessorized with two gold necklaces. She smiled at the camera, captioning the post, "Fresh hair color, new weird spot on my cheek haha... Thank you @davestanwell for brightening up my cloudy day. Love you and love to you all out there."
The update comes more than a month after she was discharged from the hospital amid her ongoing battle with multiple sclerosis (MS). TMZ reported in August that Applegate had returned home after being hospitalized in Los Angeles since late March. Sources told the publication that the actress, who was diagnosed with MS in 2021, was doing well after transitioning back home, though details about her hospitalization remain scarce. It is unclear if the extended hospital stay was directly related to her MS or other health issues.
Applegate had previously reassured fans in April, stating on Instagram that she was "getting stronger and better every day" and taking time to focus on her health. In an excerpt from her memoir, "You With The Sad Eyes," published in The Guardian in March, she described exhaustion as one of the most debilitating side effects of MS, often leaving her spending significant time in bed.
She has been candid about the challenges of her condition, noting in February that she was mainly confined to her bed due to her MS battle. Despite this, she expressed her commitment to leaving her room to take her teenage daughter, Sadie, to school, calling it "the only time we have together by ourselves."
Applegate's representative has declined to comment on her medical treatments or hospitalizations, stating only that she has a "long history of complicated medical conditions" that she has been open about.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease where the immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath covering nerve fibers, potentially causing symptoms such as numbness, weakness, difficulty walking, and vision changes, according to the Mayo Clinic. Applegate first announced her MS diagnosis in August 2021 and has since shared that she has been hospitalized numerous times, undergoing extensive testing.
She shared in an episode of her podcast, "MeSsy," that she had been hospitalized upwards of 30 times over the three years since her diagnosis. "They've done every test known to man on me, put so much radiation into my body from CT scans to everything else," she told co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Applegate decided to write her memoir, released on March 3, when she was "forced to slow down."