Christina Applegate Facing the ‘Fight of Her Life’ Amid MS Battle: She’s in ‘Physical Agony’ Every Day

Christina Applegate is doing a lot worse than people realize amid her battle with multiple sclerosis, a source tells In Touch.

“Christina is a gentle, sweet person who is caught up in the fight of her life with her MS, and this year she even had to be hospitalized for it,” says the source. “Christina is still determined to stay busy … but through all of that, it’s hard to ignore how much physical agony she’s in on a daily basis and how hard she has to work just to meet her limited professional commitments.”

On Monday, April 20, the Dead to Me star, 54, took to Instagram after TMZ reported on her stay. “Health issues are a constant for me, but I’m a strong chick and I’m getting stronger and better every day,” she wrote. “I’m taking a moment to focus on my health, but I’ll be back with more to say soon enough.”

Fans and friends, including Jerry O’Connell, Heather Dubrow and Olivia Munn, took to the comments section to shower her with love and support.

“She has a ton of support from the acting community,” shares the source, especially from other stars battling the disease like MeSsy podcast partner Jamie-Lynn Sigler and former talk show host Montel Williams. “But none of that makes what she’s been going through any easier.”

As In Touch previously reported, Applegate has been brutally honest about what it’s like living with MS, even revealing during a March 19 podcast appearance on Wild Card With Rachel Martin that she’d already purchased her burial plot.

“Can this story have any kind of happy ending? That’s not really how Christina sees it,” the source explains. “She’s just trying to get through each day and she is smart about giving herself as much time to rest as she needs.”

Applegate also credited her 15-year-old daughter Sadie with being “the reason I’m still here and trying” while chatting with Kelly Ripa on her podcast, Let’s Talk Off Camera, last July.

“The real joy Christina has in her life is being a mom,” adds the source, “and that will always come first for her, no matter where she is in her struggle with MS.”