Christina Applegate explains surprising reason she has named body part after Meghan Markle following MS diagnosis

Christina Applegate has shared an unusual thing that helps her cope with the pain caused by her multiple sclerosis (MS), five years on from her diagnosis.

Applegate, who is best known for starring in movies and TV shows like Dead To Me, Married... With Children, Anchorman, and Bad Moms, was diagnosed with MS in 2021 and has been sharing her journey with the public.

MS affects a person's brain and spinal cord and reduces a person's life expectancy by six to seven years, says the MS Trust.

There is no cure for MS but treatment is available to help patients manage the symptoms of the illness, some of which include fatigue, walking problems, pain, bladder and bowel problems, and vision problems.

The actress recently sat down to chat with Jimmy Kimmel on his show and revealed that she has a quirky way of dealing with her MS when the pain flares up.

Christina Applegate was recently interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)

The hack? Naming parts of her body. Her hands, for example, are named Barbara and Stanley.

She joked: "Barbara is married to Stanley. Barbara's gay. She has, like, a friend that she lives with. He does [know], but he loves her."

Pointing at her left leg, Applegate said that she's named it Meghan Markle.

"That's not a bad thing," she insisted.

"I think she's probably going to be mad about that," Applegate added, "but it's really not a bad thing. It's really like, 'Can you just please help me, Meghan!'"

Meanwhile her right leg is called Tootie.

Kimmel proceeded to ask if she talks to Barbara, Stanley, Meghan, and Tootie, to which Applegate said she does as it seemingly helps.

She revealed: "When they get weird we yell at them and say, 'Hey, man. Stop it.'"

While the actress seemed to be in good spirits for her interview with Kimmel while discussing her condition, she has previously disclosed the hardships that come with MS.

Speaking last year, Applegate admitted that she doesn't leave the house very much anymore.

She shared on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast: "If people saw what my life was like on the daily, they wouldn't they wouldn't be able to do it. Because I can sometimes not do it. It's really, really hard."

"I don't really leave the house anymore," Applegate added. She went on to question if she had done 'something wrong in my life to have this disease' in the heartbreaking chat.

As well as MS, Applegate was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 at the age of 36. Fortunately she has been in remission for over 17 years after undergoing a double mastectomy.