Christina Applegate’s Kid Shares Struggles of Seeing Her Mom Battle MS – Inside Their Relationship

Christina Applegate gave birth to her daughter, Sadie Grace LeNoble on January 27, 2011, in Los Angeles. This joyful event marked the beginning of her journey into motherhood. She and her fiancé at the time, musician Martyn LeNoble, were thrilled to start this new chapter of their lives.

A source close to the couple remarked, “She’s a beautiful little girl, and they are ecstatic and in love with her.” The pair had been dating for nearly three years and got engaged on Valentine’s Day. They revealed their pregnancy in July 2010.

In August 2010, Applegate discussed her approach to parenting, stating, “I’ll probably be a little bit hippie and a little bit Type A.” She added she would incorporate her mom’s laid-back style and some structured elements she’s learned from friends.

Upon holding Sadie for the first time in the hospital, Applegate was overcome with love and acceptance. “I felt my heart literally open and wrap itself around her. It was profound,” she shared. “And I’m more in love with her every minute of the day.”

Back at home in Los Angeles, Applegate fully embraced motherhood. “I want to be the ultimate burper, and diaper-changer, I want to be the ultimate at all of it,” she said at the time as a new mom.

When speaking of her beloved daughter, Applegate expressed, “She’s healed me in so many ways. She’s made my life so much better. She’s opened my whole soul.”

When Sadie was five years old, Applegate’s love for her daughter was evident. “I love my kid… more than I’ve ever known [is] possible,” she said emotionally. “It’s a spiritual thing. I really love her.”

Applegate confessed that the depth of love she felt for Sadie was unexpected. “There were times I didn’t treat my mom all that great, I had no idea how much she loved me.”

Applegate gushed over her daughter’s personality and interests once. “She’s very entertaining with a lot of accents in her repertoire and is a goofball,” the star revealed. Sadie enjoys playing the piano and dreams of being a singer.

Her famous mother has a strict rule if she wants to pursue acting: “She can study acting until she’s 18, but she needs to be educated about the craft and give it her best,” said Applegate. Aside from being a loving mom, the actress has had to deal with health issues which has taken a toll on her parenting.

In August 2021, Applegate announced her MS diagnosis on X (formerly Twitter), having been diagnosed in June. It is an autoimmune disease that hinders communication between the brain and the body.

“[…] A few months ago, I was diagnosed with MS. […] It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going,” the former child star wrote.

Applegate also shared advice from a friend with MS, highlighting the importance of taking each day as it comes. This mindset helped her navigate the difficulties of her condition while maintaining her privacy.

Applegate recounted her initial MS symptoms during a 2022 interview, which first appeared while filming “Dead to Me.” She noticed issues with balance and playing tennis. “I wish I had paid attention,” she reflected. “But who was I to know?”

Over the years, her symptoms worsened, leading to her MS diagnosis during the third season of “Dead to Me.” Production paused for five months as she began treatment.

This period was crucial for the celebrity to process the significant changes in her life. She acknowledged that there was no “getting better” with MS but needed time to come to terms with the loss of her previous way of life.

Applegate openly expressed her frustration and anger about her condition, struggling to accept the new reality. “It’s not like I came out the other side, like, ‘Woohoo I’m totally fine,'” she said after being away from work for a few months, adding, “Acceptance? No. I’m never going to accept this. I’m pissed.”

In a 2022 interview, Applegate was asked how she copes with her condition, and she divulged, “My humor shield keeps me okay. But of course, down on the insides, you feel the things and I do it to kind of deflect and then also make people not be scared to be around me,” the star added.

Applegate explained that when others see her now as a disabled individual, she wants them to be comfortable enough to laugh about it. When she first learned about the diagnosis, she avoided talking about it and did not want to be around other people.

Despite these challenges, Applegate pushed to finish the show. “That was like a part of my family. […] And I pushed as hard as I could through that. So, it was incredibly difficult,” she shared.

In a March 2024 interview, Applegate discussed how MS affects her ability to parent 13-year-old Sadie. “She’s had to see the loss of the mom she knew. Dancing with her every day. Picking her up from school. Being present. This is a loss for her as well, and we’re both learning as we go,” revealed Applegate.

The doting parent shared that her MS symptoms sometimes prevent her from being there for Sadie. “She’ll come in the room, and if she sees I’m lying on my side, she knows she can’t ask me for anything. And that breaks me because I love doing stuff for her. But I try,” the star expressed.

Driving has also become a challenge, but Applegate still attempts to take Sadie to the bus stop. “If she sees my hands shaking, she doesn’t want me to drive. She gets nervous,” she said.

One morning, when Sadie missed the bus, Applegate had to drive her 25 minutes to school. “I haven’t driven that far in three years. I was nervous, but we ended up laughing about it,” she recalled.

Applegate finds it difficult to accept that MS is a lifelong condition. “This is forever,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking when you have to say to your kid, ‘I can’t.’ It rips your soul apart.”

Sadie has been a constant support since Applegate’s MS diagnosis. “It’s definitely hard seeing my mom struggle,” she admitted on the “MeSsy” podcast hosted by Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

Sadie shared, “When she got diagnosed, it kind of just felt like…not like everything was over but it was hard seeing my mom lose a lot of the abilities she used to have in my childhood, When I was a kid, we would dance in her room for hours at a time.”

Meanwhile, Applegate expressed her guilt for not being able to do things for Sadie. “I want to make you food. I want to bring it to you. I want to do all the things and I do when I can. And I feel incredibly guilty when I can’t,” she admitted.

Sadie also admitted it’s been tough but also rewarding to support her mom. “Every time we go to a concert, she always is like, ‘You cannot push my wheelchair, Sadie, you’re going to run into a wall.’ And I will beg,” shared the youngster. However, her famous parent is not the only one with health issues.

Sadie also suffers from misophonia and POTS, conditions that help her understand her mother’s struggles. “When my mom’s like, ‘I’m in pain right now. I’m having tremors.’ If I didn’t have [POTS], I probably would be like…I don’t know what you’re talking about. But I actually have tremors from POTS,” she said.

Sadie has been a steadfast companion to her mother even at public events. She stood by Applegate when she received her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in November 2022.

The two also attended a red carpet event in January 2023 as Applegate shared a photo of them in matching black outfits, captioning, “[…] We were quite a pair last night. She fractured her ankle this week, hence the boot, and me…MS.”

In February 2023, Applegate and her daughter Sadie attended the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles California. The mother-daughter pair was pictured holding hands in black outfits.

The duo’s last public appearance was at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards in January 2024, where Applegate wore a maroon gown and Sadie rocked a black suit.

Christina Applegate’s journey with MS is marked by the unwavering support of her daughter, Sadie Grace LeNoble. Their relationship showcases the strength and resilience they share as they face their health challenges together.