"I'm sad"

Applegate worried: Daughter is also ill!

Christina Applegate worries about her daughter Sadie: The 13-year-old suffers from postural tachycardia syndrome.

(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Frazer Harrison)

As if Christina Applegate didn't have enough to contend with with her MS, the actress also has to worry about her daughter. The 13-year-old suffers from postural tachycardia syndrome, as the two have now revealed.

In the latest episode of Christina Applegate's "MeSsy" podcast, the actress and her daughter Sadie spoke for the first time about the 13-year-old's shocking diagnosis.

"I feel like I'm going to pass out"
"I have something called POTS," Sadie explained. "I have no idea what it actually is, but it's something to do with the autonomic nervous system and it affects my heart."

How does it affect her? "When I stand up, I get really, really dizzy and my legs get terribly weak and I feel like I'm going to faint at any moment," the celebrity daughter explained.

POTS, or postural tachycardia syndrome, is a chronic condition that affects the autonomic nervous system and blood circulation in the body. This can lead to an excessive increase in heart rate in an upright position and symptoms such as circulatory problems, palpitations, but also nausea, dizziness, breathing problems or concentration problems.

"I'm really sad"

She had been suffering from the symptoms for a long time, but had not been taken seriously for a long time. "I hate it for you, my darling. I really hate it for you," said Applegate, who was also affected by her daughter's health problems. "I'm really sad. But I love you and I know you're going to be okay. And I'm here for you and I believe in you. And I thank you for talking about it and raising awareness."

Sadie has to see a nurse "several times a day" because of her condition - including during class - because, as she explained, she "always feels like I'm going to pass out". "In class, when we stand up, I say: 'I have to go to the nurse. I can't do this.' Or I'm in gym class and I say again: 'I have to go to the nurse'." 

Daughter Sadie is also a great support for Christina Applegate during public appearances. Now the actress's daughter has spoken about her health problems.

(Bild: APA/Frazer Harrison/Getty Images/AFP)

This didn't go down well with her classmates and teachers for a long time, as Sadie sighed: "They then said: 'You're just doing it to get out of class. It's probably just anxiety. Go back to class."

She was completely let down with her health issues, Sadie continued. "It definitely hurt me physically and emotionally." 

Applegate didn't take her daughter seriously
Applegate also admitted that she didn't pay too much attention to her daughter in the beginning - out of ignorance about the illness. "She hates gym class," the actress apologized. "And I thought to myself: 'Oh, I felt the same way.' I feel terrible that we didn't pay attention to it." 

Her diagnosis had made it easier for her to "understand what my mother was going through", Sadie finally admitted. "Like when my mom is like: 'Oh, I'm in pain right now. Oh, I have a tremor.' If I didn't have something like that myself, I'd probably think: 'I don't care. I don't know what she's talking about'."

Christina Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021 and has spoken openly about her condition ever since. Among other things, she recently revealed that she suffers from depression due to her MS.