Christina Applegate is taking part in one of the simple pleasures she missed out on for the past two years.
The 50-year-old “Dead to Me” star took to Twitter and shared that she had been able to do the New York Times crossword while retweeting the publication’s profile about herself.
Due to her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, Applegate revealed she had been unable to write by hand for some time now.
“Sooo I was doing my NYT crossword today. Had no idea. Read along and see who I am,” she tweeted. “Also couldn’t do the crossword for the last 2 years because my hands shook from MS. So glad I can write again. Anyway I’m figuring out the theme I think. Something to do with ‘er’?”
In her profile with the NYT, the actress opened up about the challenges she faced while shooting the third and final season of the “Dead to Me” series following her MS diagnosis, which she publicly revealed in August 2021.
Applegate said she had signs of MS years prior, including once becoming off-balance while shooting a dance scene for “Dead to Me” Season 1.
“I wish I had paid attention. But who was I to know?” she said.
After Applegate received her diagnosis in the summer of 2021, production on the third and final season of “Dead to Me” was halted for about five months so she could start undergoing treatment.
“There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,” she told the NY Times. “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.”
“Although it’s not like I came on the other side of it, like, ‘Woohoo, I’m totally fine,'” she said. “Acceptance? No. I’m never going to accept this. I’m pissed.”
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. It can impact the flow of information from the brain to the body — though it manifests differently in different patients — and is incurable.
Despite her illness, the Emmy winner said she was determined to finish shooting the show, noting that she felt that she “had an obligation” to the show’s creator Liz Feldman and her co-star Linda Cardellini.
“The powers that be were like, ‘Let’s just stop. We don’t need to finish it. Let’s put a few episodes together,'” she recalled. “I said, ‘No. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms.'”
Although she insisted on pushing through so the show could have a worthy conclusion, Applegate admitted that she likely won’t watch the final season.
“If people hate it, if people love it, if all they can concentrate on is, ‘Ooh, look at the cripple,’ that’s not up to me,” she said. “I’m sure that people are going to be, like, ‘I can’t get past it.’ Fine, don’t get past it, then. But hopefully people can get past it and just enjoy the ride and say goodbye to these two girls.”
The final season of “Dead to Me” hits Netflix on November 17.
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