Christina Applegate has been a fixture on TV screens for decades, but was forced to shift her priorities after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in early 2021.
While the 53-year-old has enjoyed a successful career after rising to fame in the 1980s thanks to her starring role in the sitcom Married… With Children, she has experienced many struggles behind the scenes.
'You With the Sad Eyes'
Despite being open about her health battles, including her MS and a breast cancer diagnosis in 2008, Christina has dealt with other "painful moments the public didn't see".
All that is set to change as the actress has announced her debut memoir, "You With the Sad Eyes", will be released in March 2026.
The memoir will cover Christina's life off-screen, including her tumultuous childhood, growing up on sets, as well as chronicling her struggles with abuse, abandonment, insecurities, self-doubt, body dysmorphia, and assault, according to a press release from Little, Brown and Company.
"I decided to write this book when I was forced to slow down," Christina said in the release.
"I've had a career in TV and film since I was three years old, and I loved it. But with MS, all the things I thought were important shifted."
She continued: "For a long time, it felt impossible to find the meaning in everything I've been through, but for the first time in my life I've been able to stop and reflect. I've packed a lot into these 50-something years.
"It's scary — not gonna lie — to finally decide to tell it all. But no matter how dark it gets, I wrote this because I truly believe that books can make people feel less alone.
"I promise, You With the Sad Eyes won't be some big violin scratching for my life. But it will be real," Christina added. "It will be filled with the ups and downs, the humor and grief of life. So here I am. Real me. Lots to say."
Little, Brown and Company's executive editor, Bryn Clark, said she knew Christina's book was special after reading the opening words.
"As an editor, I'm always chasing the elusive feeling of 'I have to have this.' You only know it when you see it, and I knew Christina's book was it the second I read her opening words," Bryn said.
"You With the Sad Eyes balances the heavy and the hilarity with perfect nuance," she added.
"Christina speaks to the power of embracing the messiness and temporality of life instead of hiding behind the plastic veneer of our modern world. We have no time to waste on falsehoods and perfection."