Christina Applegate admits she lied about her double mastectomy being ‘a blessing’ amid breast cancer battle

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Christina Applegate has confessed that she wasn’t truthful when she previously described her 2008 double mastectomy as ‘a blessing,’ following her initial breast cancer diagnosis.

The 54-year-old actress recently revealed in her memoir, You With The Sad Eyes (released March 3rd), that she still regrets a past statement she made.

In a recent post, the Dead To Me star admitted she was horrified by something she said, according to the New York Post.

Applegate had previously discovered she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, which increases the risk of breast cancer. This led her to have a double mastectomy as a preventative measure.

She later told Oprah Winfrey it was a blessing, but in her memoir, she revealed it was actually ‘a way of coping with the heartbreak of losing her breasts’.

Even after all this time, I have to say, hearing Applegate talk about what happened is still heartbreaking. She’s shared how deeply affected she remains, both emotionally and physically. But what really strikes me is how she describes the support she’s received – it hasn’t erased the pain, but it has helped lessen the terrible loss she experienced, and continues to feel. It’s a testament to their care for her, honestly.

The star explained that she regretted not being upfront about how the surgery affected her, and felt it ultimately caused more problems for herself and others.

The actress said she’d hoped to use the 2008 interview with Winfrey as a chance to share how much of a positive experience it had been for her.

‘Here’s how I feel about that interview now. It was bulls**t,’ Applegate candidly penned. 

I wasn’t honest, because I thought I was trying to be positive. I was pretending to be strong, but that didn’t reflect how I truly felt.

She added, ‘It felt wrong to talk about good things happening when they were clearly suffering so much.’

The actress shared that she was going through a deeply painful time, feeling lonely and grieving a profound loss – something she described as incredibly personal and heartbreaking, and that no cosmetic procedure could ever fix.

In a past interview with Oprah Winfrey following her double mastectomy, she remembered talking with Melissa Etheridge, who is also a breast cancer survivor.

The first thing she told me was, “Christina, this is a wonderful thing that’s happened to you…”

Honestly, it just broke my heart when I heard Katherine Heigl – I mean, Applegate – tell Oprah that even after everything, the surgery still messes with her emotionally. It’s just… devastating to think about, even now. I’ve followed her career for so long, and to know she’s still battling this… it’s just so tough.

It’s really upsetting, and I often find myself crying daily because it’s impossible to ignore when I look at myself.

She explained that seeing it first thing when you look down is a constant reminder of her past cancer diagnosis.

After an MRI, Applegate received a breast cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, the cancer was detected early and was limited to one breast.

She also tested for the BRCA1 gene, and the results came in positive. 

The ‘Married… With Children’ star shared that a double mastectomy ‘can be very painful.’

‘It’s also a part of you that’s gone, so you go through a grieving process and a mourning process.’ 

In 2024, she spoke more about her experience with breast cancer on the Armchair Expert podcast.

The actress also admitted she hadn’t been completely truthful about how she felt after her double mastectomy.

I really learned this the hard way. Back in 2008, when I was just 36 and battling breast cancer, I made the mistake of continuing to go out and live my life as usual, and it definitely wasn’t what I should have done.

I acted like everything was fine, even bragging about my breast augmentation, despite the painful and imperfect results. I really question my judgment at the time.

She remembered talking to Robin Roberts at the time and crying afterwards ‘because it was a lie.’

I realized everything I’d been saying wasn’t true. I was just trying to believe it myself, and I don’t think that helped anyone at all.

Five years earlier in 2021, Applegate revealed that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-lasting autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, the protective covering around nerve fibers, according to the Mayo Clinic.

This condition can lead to symptoms like numbness, weakness, difficulty walking, and vision problems. It essentially disrupts the connection between your brain and the rest of your body.

In her new memoir, Applegate penned, ‘I’m not going to lie anymore. MS sucks.

I once presented my experience—dealing with cancer, having reconstruction, and recovering—as a simple, linear process, like I could just put it behind me. That’s how I talked about it when speaking with Oprah, Robin Roberts, and other public figures.

The actress recently shared with People magazine that she’s been largely bedridden due to her multiple sclerosis.

Despite everything, she still tries to be a good mom to her 15-year-old daughter, Sadie, and makes an effort to do things like drive her to school.

I love spending time with her—it’s the highlight of my day. Those moments alone with her are really special.

Applegate explained that her main focus was simply getting her daughter to her destination and back home, so she could finally get some rest. That’s all she needed to motivate herself.

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2026-03-05 04:06