Christina Applegate has given fans another glimpse into her life after reportedly spending nearly four months in hospital. The 54-year-old Dead to Me actress appears to be back home and recently returned to social media with a lighthearted video showing off her freshly colored hair. “Fresh hair color, new weird spot on my cheek haha,” she wrote, thanking hairstylist Dave Stanwell for “brightening up my cloudy day.” Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in June 2021 and has remained unusually open about the difficulties of living with the long-term neurological condition. Her reported March hospital admission was never publicly linked to MS, and her representative previously declined to discuss the reason for her treatment. In April, Applegate addressed the concern herself, thanking supporters for their messages and saying that health problems are a constant part of her life, while insisting she was getting stronger each day. Her recent return comes shortly after she shared a photo of a “Yay, you’re home” banner made for her by her 16-year-old daughter, Sadie Grace.
Applegate has continued to speak honestly about how severely MS can affect her everyday routine. In February, she explained that even ordinary activities can require significant effort and that she spends much of her day in or around her bed because movement can be painful. She described taking her daughter to school as one of the few moments they have alone together, even though getting through the drive can leave her needing to return straight to bed. More recently, she has also used Instagram to explain that stress and emotional upset can intensify her MS symptoms, revealing that she had fallen several times after a difficult incident and injured her legs. Fans responded with encouragement, praising her openness and resilience. Applegate has said she wants to remain “real, raw, honest” online, while also preparing her memoir, You with the Sad Eyes: A Memoir, which explores difficult experiences from her life and career, including abuse, abandonment, self-doubt, body-image struggles and assault. She has described MS as something that forced her to slow down and reconsider what truly matters to her.