Actress Christina Applegate recently opened up about her battle with anorexia, sharing her experience publicly for the first time in her career.

Applegate gained widespread recognition through her role as Kelly Bundy on the popular 1980s sitcom Married… with Children.

The actor made her debut on the show at the young age of 15, and the show went on to have an impressive 11-season run.

However, Applegate was carrying a significant weight at that time, a topic she had not previously addressed.

During a recent episode of her podcast MeSsy, the 52-year-old opened up about her long-standing struggle with food deprivation.

Applegate expressed her extreme frustration with the situation.

The star says that her mom put her on Weight Watchers in 1987, which was the same year that Married… with Children came out.

However, her struggles with body image began even earlier, when a boy in her neighborhood cruelly called her fat.

Applegate also characterized her mother as being quite competitive.

“When I got down to 110 pounds, she would ask, ‘How did you do it?'” “And the reason was, I had an eating disorder,” she went on.

During her most challenging times, Applegate revealed that she would limit herself to consuming only five almonds per day and would avoid going outside if she had six.

Her size 0 outfits were too big and had to be accepted by the costume department.

The Anchorman star also shared that the team working on Married… With Children had concerns about her well-being.

“They were saying, ‘Christina never eats.’ They talked to me about it,” she said on her podcast. “But to me, I was big.”

In a recent revelation, Applegate bravely opened up about her struggles with eating disorders. She candidly shared that the ‘demon in my head is coming back really loud’ due to her recent weight gain, which has been a source of fear for her.

In 2021, the actor revealed that she has gained 45 pounds since being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Multiple sclerosis is a significant health condition that impacts both the brain and spinal cord.

Common symptoms of the condition may manifest as visual impairments, difficulties with motor skills, sensory disturbances, impaired coordination, muscle rigidity, loss of sensation, and cognitive challenges.

“It’s always a little bit there, when you lived with anorexia as long as I did in my early life,” Applegate shared. “Body dysmorphia and similar struggles have always haunted me.”

Considering her diagnosis and the progressive nature of MS, the actor has expressed uncertainty about her future in acting.

She recently appeared in Netflix’s Dead to Me alongside Linda Cardellini and James Marsden, which premiered in 2019.

If you or someone you know has been impacted by the topics discussed in this article and would like to reach out for support, please consider contacting the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). If you need assistance, feel free to give them a call on their toll-free hotline at 1(888)-375-7767. Their friendly team is available to help you from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 9pm CST.