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Christina Applegate says she regretted comments after her double mastectomy
Summary
Christina Applegate says she regretted calling her double mastectomy a 'blessing' in early interviews and now writes that she will be honest about living with multiple sclerosis.
Content
Christina Applegate reflects on choices she made after her 2008 double mastectomy and how those moments shaped public expectations. She learned she carried a BRCA1 genetic mutation and chose to have both breasts removed. In the months after surgery she spoke on national programs and used an upbeat framing that she now says did not match her true feelings. After a later diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, Applegate says she has shifted to more direct honesty about illness.
What happened:
- Applegate was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in 2008 and found to carry a BRCA1 mutation.
- She underwent a double mastectomy and later appeared on high-profile interviews where she described the experience in positive terms, a portrayal she now says she regrets.
- In her memoir she calls those public comments dishonest and worries they set unrealistic expectations for others facing cancer.
- Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in June 2021 and says she now favors "radical, thoughtful honesty" when speaking about living with the condition.
Summary:
Applegate’s account marks a move from offering upbeat public reassurances about her cancer experience toward more frank discussion of loss and ongoing illness. Undetermined at this time.
