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Multiple sclerosis -

Multiple sclerosis is a lifelong neurological condition that can come with a wide range of symptoms that vary from person to person. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks a healthy part of the body. In this case, it’s the brain and spinal cord.

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Diagnosis -

MS is usually diagnosed when a person is in their twenties or thirties, but symptoms can start to show at any age. It is the most common disability among young people in the US. Women are two or three times more likely to be diagnosed with MS than men.

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Varied severity -

While the symptoms caused by MS can be very debilitating, some people experience much milder effects of the disease. In many cases, it’s possible to treat the symptoms and improve quality of life.

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Outlook and treatment -

MS itself is not a fatal illness, but it can lead to other health complications that may reduce life expectancy by five to 10 years. However, thanks to increased treatments and medications, life expectancy seems to be improving.

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The symptoms -

MS is a neurological disease, so it often affects a person’s senses and movement. Some of the most common symptoms include difficulty walking, blurred vision, and problems with balance and coordination.

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The symptoms - Other common symptoms include fatigue, numbness or tingling, muscle spasms, stiffness, and bladder control issues. More advanced cognitive symptoms include difficulties with thinking, learning, and planning.

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The two variations -

Multiple sclerosis can develop in two different ways. Some people experience it in bursts, with symptoms becoming more severe and then disappearing, followed by relapses. The alternative is a slow and steady linear progression of the symptoms.

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Relapsing MS -

Around 80% of people with MS will be diagnosed with the relapsing type. The symptoms will occur without warning and may worsen over a period of days, weeks, or months. They will then start to fade and the person’s condition will improve. This period of remission might even last for years.

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Relapse and remission -

The symptoms will return again at a later point, called a relapse, potentially worse than the previous time. These relapses are usually random but can sometimes be associated with a period of illness or stress.

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The later stage -

Those with relapsing MS will often develop the second type of MS after living with the disease for years or decades. This means that the symptoms are more consistent and slowly worsen over time.

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Progressive MS -

Only around 10% of people with MS start their journey with the progressive form of the disease. This means their symptoms gradually worsen after diagnosis and there are no periods of remission and relapse.

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Celebrities with multiple sclerosis -

Now let’s take a look at the stories of the celebrities who have opened up about their personal struggles as they live with their MS diagnosis.

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Emma Caulfield -

Emma Caulfield, known for appearing in hit shows like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'WandaVision,' revealed that she has MS in a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair. She got the diagnosis in 2010 and kept it a secret for more than a decade, but decided she was ready to open up about her condition. The actress first realized something was wrong when she started to experience numbness in one side of her face. She received a call from her doctor after an MRI and was shocked to learn that she had MS. The news was devastating at first and left her reeling. “This is what’s going on. I’m at work. I can’t even function. I’m trying to just keep myself together." She continued, "I was like, 'Am I dying? How bad? What’s happening?' I was so overwhelmed and pretty hysterical."

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Emma Caulfield -

As Caulfield came to terms with her diagnosis and began treatment, she carried on working and decided to keep the condition a secret. Her reasoning was that she would get less work as an actress if it was known that she had MS. "There are already plenty of reasons to not hire people, reasons most actors don't even know. 'You look like my ex-girlfriend … You're too short. You're too tall. You look mean. You look too nice. You don't have the right color eyes.' I knew in my bones that if you talk about this, you're just going to stop working. That's it." However, Caulfield has changed her mind now that she has a young daughter with Mark Leslie Ford. She told Vanity Fair that she didn't want to hide her MS from her daughter anymore and felt it was time to use her platform to raise awareness. 

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John King -

CNN's John King got candid during a segment of 'Inside Politics' on October 19 2021, discussing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, in which he revealed he has multiple sclerosis.

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John King -

"I'm going to share a secret I have never spoken before. I am immunocompromised," King admitted. "I have multiple sclerosis. So I am grateful you are all vaccinated. I am grateful my employer says all of these amazing people who work on the floor, who came in here in the last 18 months when we are doing this, are vaccinated now that we have vaccines." 

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Christina Applegate -

Actress Christina Applegate was diagnosed in 2021 at the age of 49. She told her fans on Twitter that it’s been a strange and difficult road.

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Christina Applegate -

In 2023, she attended the SAG Awards and walked the red carpet of what she has said will likely be her “last awards show as an actor” wearing a suit-inspired black gown paired with a cane embellished with the message "FU MS." Applegate brought her daughter, Sadie Grace, to the event. She revealed that she doesn't feel capable of carrying on in the entertainment industry as she had in the past, and is likely to move into voice acting to pay the bills. 

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Selma Blair -

Selma Blair was diagnosed with MS in 2018 when she was in her mid-forties. The ‘Cruel Intentions’ (1999) star said she had been experiencing symptoms for years, but her neurologist only started to take it seriously when she literally fell down in front of him.

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Selma Blair -

Blair has bravely shared her experience with the disease, going on ‘Good Morning America’ in the middle of a flare-up to raise awareness. She owned the red carpet at the 2019 Oscars with her custom cane. Blair says she struggles with numbness, difficulty speaking and moving her left leg, and a worsening lazy eye.

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Selma Blair -

Selma Blair made a shocking announcement on October 17, 2022, that she would be stepping away from 'Dancing with the Stars,' due to her MS. The actress revealed the decision was to prioritize her own health. "You know I've been monitored and in touch with my doctors this whole process," Blair told her dancing partner Sasha Farber in a pre-taped package. "I had these MRIs and when the results came back, it just all adds up to I can't. I can't. I can't go on with the competition. I pushed as far as I could." She continued, "With a chronic illness, you do have special considerations and my body is definitely taking a hit," she explained. "It's way too much for the safety of my bones. There's just intensive bone trauma and inflammation among rips and tears so I could do extensive damage that of course, I do not want." The judges on the show told her she was an inspiration as she danced for the last time with Farber, and they gave her a perfect score. Blair also said on the broadcast that it was important for her as a mother and as a public figure to show that "sometimes there are just consequences to any chance you take." 

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Joan Didion -

Famed feminist writer Joan Didion was diagnosed with MS when she was in her mid-thirties. She spoke about her diagnosis in an essay in her seminal 1979 book ‘The White Album,’ saying, “The improbable had become the norm: Things which happened only to other people could in fact happen to me.”

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Joan Didion -

In the years leading up to her 2021 death, she showed certain symptoms like struggling to control her hand movements, though her mind remained sharp as a tack. 

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Jamie-Lynn Sigler -

Jamie-Lynn Sigler was diagnosed with MS when she was only 20 years old and starring in the hit HBO series ‘The Sopranos.’ Sigler only shared her condition with the public when she was 34 years old, stating that she had been in denial for a long time.

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Jamie-Lynn Sigler -

Sigler told Glamour, “I thought it meant wheelchair; I thought it meant your life was over. And so there began, sort of, my almost 15 years of being in denial, or not accepting that it was something that was part of my life because I didn’t want to believe that that was going to be my future.” She managed to come to terms with her diagnosis and says she is now doing just fine. She receives medication twice a year and is happily raising her two young kids.

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Jack Osbourne - Jack Osbourne, son of famed rock star Ozzy Osbourne, was diagnosed with MS just weeks after the birth of his daughter. He had suddenly lost vision in his left eye and went for an MRI, which showed lesions on his brain and spine.

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Jack Osbourne -

His vision came back, but Osbourne's greatest struggle has been with depression. This is a common side effect of MS. He says that the emotional side of the disease is the toughest part but he tries to keep himself uplifted by staying active. He created the reality show ‘Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour’ with his father, who has Parkinson’s disease but was misdiagnosed with MS in the past.

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Noah “40” Shebib -

Noah “40” Shebib is a Grammy Award-winning music producer who collaborates with Drake (he’s frequently referred to as “40” in Drake’s songs). Shebib was diagnosed with MS at the age of 22, but only started speaking out about it more than a decade later. He shared that he only needed to start taking medications regularly when he was 37.

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Noah “40” Shebib -

He experiences symptoms like numbness and shaking, once causing him to collapse on tour. Shebib seems not to take his mobility for granted anymore. In an interview, he said “Everyone’s like, ‘Why do you walk so fast?’,” to which he answers “Because I can, and sometimes I can’t. Right now, I can.”

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Alan and David Osmond -

Alan Osmond (left) of The Osmonds and his son David (center) have both been diagnosed with MS. They both live by Alan’s motto: "I may have MS, but MS does not have me." Alan was forced to stop performing due to his symptoms. He was diagnosed early with the rarer progressive form of MS.

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Alan and David Osmond -

David started to experience symptoms like vision loss and pain throughout his body when he was 26 years old. He didn’t immediately recognize it because his symptoms were different from his father’s, but he was soon diagnosed with MS. He has the more common relapsing version and has become a vocal advocate for himself, his father, and the entire community.

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Art Alexakis -

Everclear’s Art Alexakis revealed his MS diagnosis in 2019 when he was in his mid-fifties. The musician only told fans about the condition a few years after he had found out himself. In the meantime, he had been touring and making new music, showing no outward signs of the illness.

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Art Alexakis -

He created his first solo album while preparing to share his diagnosis publicly. He wrote the song ‘Hot Water Test’ specifically about MS, and also plans to write a book. In an open letter to his fans, he said: “If you see me stumbling … please know that I have not fallen off the wagon. I am just learning to be the new me.”

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Teri Garr -

Actress Teri Garr was rising to fame in the ‘70s and ‘80s, appearing in movies like ‘Young Frankenstein’ (1974) and ‘Tootsie’ (1983). She started to experience strange symptoms around this time and went public with her MS diagnosis in 2002. She urges people who are newly diagnosed to learn as much as they can about the disease.

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Hal Ketchum -

Country music star Hal Ketchum was diagnosed with MS in the late ‘90s and carried on performing for two decades after that. He said that talking about his illness with other people always made him feel better. Ketchum lost his mother to complications of MS. Research shows that MS is not directly hereditary, but that those who have relatives with MS are more likely to develop it.

Sources: (NHS) (WebMD) (Glamour) (USA Today) 

See also: Celebs who kept their serious illnesses a secret

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