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Christina Applegate: US actress reveals MS diagnosis

Getty Images Christina ApplegateGetty Images

US actress Christina Applegate has revealed she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Applegate first found fame as a child actress on US sitcom Married... With Children and won an Emmy for playing Rachel's sister Amy in Friends.

"It's been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition," Applegate tweeted on Tuesday.

She asked for "privacy" as "I go through this thing".

The Dead To Me actress added: "It's been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps on going. Unless [someone] tries to block it."

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Applegate, 49, has won plaudits for her TV acting roles including the title roles in sitcom Jesse (1998 - 2000) and comedy Samantha Who? (2007 - 2009).

Her performance in Dead To Me has seen her nominated for Golden Globe, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice awards.

She won a Primetime Emmy for her guest appearance as Rachel's sister in Friends in two episodes in 2002 and 2003.

Applegate was also a member of the original Pussycat Dolls, when they were a burlesque troupe.

Her film roles include Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy. She later reprised her role as Veronica Corningstone in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

Applegate's other big screen outings include Bad Moms and The Sweetest Thing, opposite Cameron Diaz. She has also appeared on Broadway in shows such as Sweet Charity.

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Multiple sclerosis

Thinkstock An MS cellThinkstock

In MS the protective layer surrounding nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord - known as myelin - becomes damaged. The immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin, causing scarring or sclerosis.

The damaged myelin disrupts the nerve signals - rather like the short circuit caused by a frayed electrical cable.

If the process of inflammation and scarring is not treated then eventually the condition can cause permanent neurodegeneration.

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In 2008, Applegate underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

She opted to have surgery after testing positive for the BRCA1 breast cancer gene.

Applegate is married to Martyn LeNoble, who was a founding member of the 1990s alternative rock band, Porno for Pyros.