Back in August of 2008, Christina Applegate made the difficult decision to have a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis. She opted for a mastectomy because she didn’t want to worry about making sure the cancer was eradicated, because she had the breast cancer gene (her mother is a two time breast cancer survivor as well) and presumably because she wanted to have children and chemotherapy would have significantly reduced her chances. Following reconstructive surgery, Applegate did have a baby a little over a couple of years later, with her partner, Martin Lenoble. It’s a sweet story of triumph after cancer, although of course there’s more to it. In a new interview with More magazine, Applegate gave some additional details of what she was going through at the time, and it sounds just awful. She says she wasn’t ready to reveal her cancer diagnosis but that she had to, essentially. (A tabloid reported the story before she announced it and forced her hand.) After she went public with the news, she kind of “crashed,” which is to be expected. Here’s more:

The Up All Night star, who underwent a double mastectomy in 2008 after being diagnosed with the same disease her mother survived, opens up about her painful struggle to come to terms with losing both of her breasts in the November 2012 issue of More magazine, and RadarOnline.com has the details.

“I miss my exquisite breasts sometimes,” she reveals, in reference to a line about her natural mammary glands in the movie Anchorman.

The 40-year-old explains how she was denied the time to grieve, as the media learned about her surgery immediately following the operation.

“The good thing is that we got the information out, but talking about the facts of the disease, I didn’t have to see what was going on with me. I think when it slowed down, all that came crashing down,” she says.

With the help of her friends and family and a spiritual advisor, she overcame what she calls a “total emotional collapse.”

Soon after, she reunited with old friend Martyn LeNoble, and the two quickly fell in love.

“We had always cared deeply for one another when we were friends. And he came and put me under his wing. That was it – he was supposed to come.”

Applegate, who welcomed her first child, Sadie Grace, in early 2011, hopes to have another with her partner, but sadly, it may not be an option.

“Because of some things that happened during my pregnancy, I don’t know if I can. I hope I can. We’ll see,” she says.

[From Radar Online]

That’s really sweet about her partner being there for her during her health crisis, and how that brought them together. I’m glad she’s ok now, and hope she’s able to have another baby because it sounds like she really wants one. I admire Applegate a lot, and I find her very funny. This reminds me to watch Up All Night. I only saw the first couple of episodes last season and it was good. The thing is, it depicted parenthood so realistically that I found it a little stressful! It wasn’t “fake” enough for a sitcom, if that makes sense.

Here’s the clip where Christina Applegate talks about her “exquisite breasts” on Anchorman. It’s at about 1:40:

Photo credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet

Back in February of 2011, Christina Applegate gave birth to her first child, daughter Sadie Grace. Sadie’s dad is Christina’s fiancé Martyn LeNoble, and they still haven’t gotten married, right? There’s nothing wrong with that at all, I just wanted to be specific. Anyway, that means that Sadie is about 19 or 20 months old right now. Most celebrity women manage to “lose the baby weight” in a matter of a few months – but not Christina, at least that’s what she’s saying in a new interview. Unfortunately, Christina kind of goes on the offensive about losing the baby weight, and I think she goes too far, even if she was just saying it half-seriously, half-jokingly. Here’s the quote that caught my eye: “And those girls that do, they’re spending less time with their kids. I just wanted to hang out with my daughter 24 hours a day.” Er…

Looks like Marla Sokoloff isn’t the only one choosing to take her time.

During an appearance on The Talk last Tuesday, first-time mom Christina Applegate admitted she’s still shedding her pregnancy pounds — and maternity clothes! — since welcoming daughter Sadie Grace in January 2011.

“I just transitioned out of maternity jeans. I’m working on two years and I haven’t even lost all my weight,” the Up All Night actress, 40, says.

“And those girls that do, they’re spending less time with their kids. I just wanted to hang out with my daughter 24 hours a day.”

But, despite taking the “healthier” approach to regaining her body after baby, Applegate jokes she anticipates never making a full recovery.

“I will not be Tweeting photos of me in a bikini, let alone wear a bikini I think ever again in my life,” she shares.

With co-host Sara Gilbert pointing out that “for some people … it does just come off fast,” Applegate quips, “No, I know. I know girls that just genetically it just drops off. I didn’t mean to offend the skinny people.”

According to Applegate, she’s not the only one who has reached a momentous milestone. “[Sadie] is so remarkable, she is so smart. She’s just talking up a storm, dancing, she loves music and she loves bubbles,” the proud mama shares.

“She’s just a whole human being and it’s awesome to watch her.”

[From People]

If Christina sort of took it back (“I know girls that just genetically it just drops off. I didn’t mean to offend the skinny people”) does that make it less harsh? Hm… I still think the “those are the girls who spend less time with their kids” statement is kind of harsh, even in jest. It seems like such a mother-judging-other-mothers thing, only it’s a Reverse Goop. Gwyneth Paltrow thinks less of the fat postpartum peasants who can’t manage to lose their baby weight quickly. Christina Applegate thinks less of the skinny postpartum moms who are spending too much time in the gym because that’s time they could be spending with their babies. Surely there’s a happy medium, ladies?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

After the people from Ellen sent us an excerpt from Christina Applegate’s interview, to air today, I thought I should pick up People and see what she had to say in her full cover story. I was reading her interview in the checkout aisle this morning and honest to God I almost started crying. I had to kind of swallow it back so I wouldn’t be blubbering there in the supermarket. Applegate repeated some of the same sentiments to Ellen that she told People, that she’s been self conscious of her chest since undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in 2008, but that all her self consciousness and bad feelings over surviving the C word melted away after she had her baby last month. Here’s what she told Ellen:

Ellen: Was it a hard labor or was it quick? Fast?
Christina: It was about 18 hours.
Ellen: That’s long.
Christina: It is long. I had my plan. Plans are a big joke, you know, [mine] was to have an epidural but I didn’t react to it well.
Ellen: What are you talking about?
Christina: I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the feeling of numbness. I didn’t like it. It was really creepy to me. It was too much so we turned it off and we opted for go all the way.
Ellen: Wow!
Christina: Feeling it all.
Ellen: How was that?
Christina: I like to say that I opted for it but they accidentally turned it off. Laughs

Ellen: Was it painful?
Christina: It was profound. It was profound pain. And then that happens (pointing to photo of daughter). Just that moment, pulling her out and I dropped my gown which I don’t do. This part of my body is very private to me [her chest]…that’s a real private place. A place that I don’t have a good relationship with, let’s say. But at that moment of pulling her out and I just tore that thing [gown] off. There’s a room full of people that I don’t know. Nurses and doctors. And she and I just laid there. It was the best thing that’s every happened to me.
Ellen: That’s a beautiful moment.

[From The Ellen DeGeneres show, to air 2-22-11]

The things that Applegate said in People about motherhood and how your child changes your life were universal and so heartfelt that it brings me back to that time and how special it was. It seemed to be especially meaningful to her after all she went through. Here are a few new quotes that I found touching.

“I’ve been kind of sad for a long time, and she’s just opened my whole soul.”

“I don’t want to live in leggings, [referring to her weight gain] but I can’t imagine working right now because I never want to leave her for the rest of my life.”

“It’s a great feeling of renewal… She’s my beginning.”

It sounds over-the-top and gushing, but I get it, I really do, and I’m so happy for her and her fiance, Martyn Lenoble. He stood by her side during her cancer fight and he sounds like a doting dad too.

Cover courtesy of CoverAwards, photos courtesy of WENN.

Just a few weeks ago, Christina Applegate gave birth to a Sadie, Sadie, Married Lady. No, she named her baby girl Sadie Grace, and now Christina is debuting her little girl in the pages of People Magazine. I have to say – while I’m happy for Christina, and I like her a great deal, this is an absolutely terrible cover shot. The baby looks fine – it’s Christina that looks weird. Why in the world is the shot so tight? Anyway, here are some excerpts from People’s cover story:

Holding newborn daughter Sadie Grace in the hospital on Jan. 27, Christina Applegate was overwhelmed by her feelings of acceptance and love.

“I felt my heart literally open up for the first time and like wrap itself around her. It was profound,” Applegate, 39, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “And I’m more in love with her every minute of the day.”

Back home in the L.A. house she shares with musician fiancé Martyn LeNoble, 41, Applegate has been relishing motherhood. “I want to be the ultimate burper and diaper-changer, I want to be the ultimate at all of it,” she says.

“Sometimes I stand there going, ‘I’m not doing any of this right!’ And then I get this big man belch out of her and I go, ‘Ah, we accomplished this together.’ ”

It’s those little moments that now mean the most to Applegate, who opted for a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008.

“I’ve had to talk about that word [cancer] more than I’ve ever had to talk about a word in my life,” she says. “After a while you’re like, ‘There’s got to be something else to me.’ ”

Daughter Sadie has now given Applegate a new word to focus on: Mom.

“Yeah, now I’m Mom. She’s healed me in so many ways,” says the actress. “She’s just made my life so much better. She’s opened my whole soul.”

For more of Applegate’s exclusive interview, including photos of the family, pick up this week’s PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

[From People]

She sounds really happy, and God bless. I’m happy for her too. And now, since I don’t really have anything to add on the subject of babies and moms, I have a media/celebrity-related digression. How does Christina warrant a People cover? Is it just because of the baby? Because although I like her, Christina isn’t even on a television show anymore. She’s just not that big of a celebrity, in general. Maybe she got the cover for a combination of reasons: public goodwill and everybody loves baby pics. Still no People cover for Eva Longoria, which makes me so, so happy.

People cover courtesy of CoverAwards. Additional pics by WENN.

Yay! Christina Applegate has given birth to a baby girl, and mother and child are both healthy. Christina and her fiancé Martyn LeNoble named their daughter Sadie Grace LeNoble… thoughts on the name? Thoughts on naming your baby after a Beatles song? Eh, there are worst things. And “Sadie” is much better than “Prudence” or “Eleanor Rigby”.

It’s a girl for Christina Applegate! The Going the Distance actress and her fiancé, rocker Martyn LeNoble, welcomed Sadie Grace LeNoble on Thurs. Jan. 27. Proud papa LeNoble posted the news on his Facebook page late Monday. He added that Sadie Grace weighed in at 7 lbs., 8 oz.

A first-time mom, Applegate, 39, confirmed her pregnancy in September. The Emmy-nominated star’s baby joy comes two years after she overcame a bout with breast cancer, following a double mastectomy.

Applegate has credited her baby’s dad, a founding member of 90s alternative rock band Porno for Pyros, with helping keep her spirits high during her cancer battle.

“I have a small but mighty support system and Martyn has really been an incredible part of my life,” Applegate previously told Us. “Without him, I don’t know if I could’ve gone through any of it. He came around at a time when there was a lot of loss in my life on many levels, so he’s been a really incredible help.”

The new mom — who got engaged to LeNoble on Valentine’s Day last year — tells Us she’d welcome the idea of having more kids.

When asked what’s on her bucket list, she told Us last year: “Babies, lots of babies. Not lots of babies, but a couple.”

[From Us Weekly]

Congratulations to Christina and her happy family! I’m so pleased that everybody is healthy and happy. Now, can someone tell me… who does this Martyn guy remind me of? He looks so familiar, like some actor that I can’t quite place. Does anyone else think he looks a bit like Til Schweiger?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

At first, I only saw Drew Barrymore’s dress – at last night’s premiere of Going the Distance – from the waist up, and I thought it was a cheap-looking cocktail dress. I was very disappointed, because Drew recently brought the glamour and the beauty to a recent red carpet for Nylon – she looked amazing then, not so much last night. I don’t care for her “growing out the blonde” hair (which needs to be brushed), and now that I’ve seen that the dress is a full-length gown, I still think it looks cheap. Very Vegas showgirl.

As far as Drew’s costar and on-and-off boyfriend Justin Long… well, who knows what’s going on with them? Allegedly, they quietly split up a few months ago, but most people have noted that Justin and Drew seem back “on” for this promotional tour. Friends with benefits? Sure. Especially if the dude loves going downtown, as Justin Long seems to adore. I don’t really find Justin attractive, but he seems like he’s a nice guy, so whatever.

Two more people of note were at the premiere – Christina Applegate and her baby bump in a vivid purple, and Kate Beckinsale. Now, Christina is actually in the movie. Beckinsale is not. But Kate still tried to out-do the stars!

Premiere photos, courtesy of WENN.

Christina Applegate debuted her baby bump last night at the premiere of Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. I guess she did voice work for the film? Probably. Anyway, Christina just announced her pregnancy last week, and I guess she waited until she was showing, because I spy a second trimester bump, right? She looks very cute. Christina spoke to Entertainment Tonight about her beh-beh and about her pregnant style – basically, we’re not going to be prying her heels off, ever, bump or no bump.

Soon to be mom Christina Applegate showed up to the premiere of ‘Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore’ with a visible baby bump, and she spoke with ET about what she’s craving food-wise during her pregnancy.

The former “Married with Children” star is expecting a child with fiancé and bass player Martyn Lenoble. She’s keeping mum on the baby’s gender and would only reveal that she’s “somewhere between zero and 10 months” along.

Christina told ET that she’s craving “weird things at weird hours,” but particularly avocados. The actress said jokingly that she’s not giving up her high heels, saying she’s trying to give herself more height as her middle region expands. “It offsets the impending growth of width,” she rationalized.

[From Entertainment Tonight]

Aw, good for her. But I thought doctors recommended that pregnant women give up their heels? Or is that recommendation for later on in the pregnancy? I don’t know, I’ve never been pregnant. I’m sure heels aren’t harmful to the baby, I would just imagine that your center of gravity is already askew, and heels don’t help. But I’m a klutz – thus, I very rarely wear heels anyway.

Aw, everyone is pregnant! I saw this morning that Ali Larter is knocked up (by her husband), and now People Magazine is confirming that Christina Applegate is with child too! I had to stop for a second and read it though, because I didn’t remember Christina getting engaged to this guy, but People calls the baby-daddy her “fiancée” so I guess so. Shotgun weddings, for everybody!

Christina Applegate could soon be married with a child.

The actress and her fiancé Martyn Lenoble are expecting their first child, her rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.

Applegate, 38, and Lenoble, 41, dated for two years before becoming engaged on Valentine’s Day. No date has been set for the wedding.

The Samantha Who? actress says her fiancé, a Dutch bass player, helped her recover after undergoing a double mastectomy.

“I’m very grateful to Martyn for coming along at a time that he did because he’s been my rock through all of this,” Applegate told PEOPLE last year. “He gave me something to really want to live for and something to smile about.”

[From People]

Congratulations to them! People also confirmed Ali’s pregnancy through her rep, and the rep says Ali is due in the winter. So do you think Ali and Christina are probably about three months along each? Let me do the math… so they got pregnant around the end of April? Are they both due in January, I wonder? Eh, we’ll know soon enough. Congratulations to both couples – it will both Ali and Christina’s first babies.

Finally, a People Magazine “Most Beautiful” cover I can get behind. This year’s “Most Beautiful” is none other than the lovely and talented Christina Applegate. Applegate survived breast cancer last year, for which she had a double mastectomy in July. She spent several months recovering from that ordeal, and went on to have reconstructive breast surgery. Regardless of what’s happening with her body, Christina is one of those woman whose beauty radiates from within. I’ve literally sobbed watching her interviews, and I’m so moved by the grace with which she’s handled her struggles. Well done, People Magazine!

She has an “angel” of a boyfriend, Dutch bass player Martyn Lenoble, “who loves me from head to toe.” She has a cozy Malibu beach house that she calls “the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.” And, after a very public battle with breast cancer that has given her a gratifying “feeling of purpose,” Christina Applegate has a new lease on life.

“I used to be really shy but I started to come into my own in my late 20s and early 30s,” Applegate, 37, tells PEOPLE in the cover interview for the annual Most Beautiful issue – her first interview since her reconstructive breast surgery last November. “Now I’m not afraid to speak up in a room full of people and be a part of the conversation.”

The Samantha Who? star says she’s finding balance and embracing her body after undergoing a double mastectomy in July.

“You have to get through the physical transformations then buck up, go to work and try to be the normal, happy Christina for everyone around you,” she says.

One source of strength has been Lenoble. “He’s been a friend for about 13 years,” Applegate says. “Our relationship gets stronger and stronger. I’m really lucky.”

And, more importantly, he makes the actress feel “beautiful” about her new body.

“I’m very grateful to Martyn for coming along at a time that he did because he’s been my rock through all of this,” Applegate says. “He gave me something to really want to live for and something to smile about.”

[From People Magazine]

I wish her all the happiness in the world – she got dealt some bad hands in the poker game of life, and hopefully everything will be better for her in the coming years. She’s talked in the past of her desire to become a mother, and I hope that happens for her. I don’t know much about this boyfriend Martyn Lenoble, other than what People Magazine says, but I hope it’s the real deal. Congratulations, Christina!

Here’s Christina at the SAG awards on January 25th. Images thanks to WENN.com .

After undergoing a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis, Christina Applegate will have reconstructive surgery around her birthday at the end of this month.

“I still have quite a process until this is done,” the actress says in the new issue of TV Guide. “Yes, it’s hard. It sucks. But I’m not a victim.”

She will undergo reconstructive surgery near her 37th birthday, at the end of November. She had a double mastectomy in July.

Applegate – a workaholic who clocks 14 to 16 hour days on Samantha Who – changed her outlook on life after her spring diagnosis.

“I started looking for a beach house the day I found out I had this little disease,” she says. “You just kind of go, ‘What are you waiting for to get the things that you want and the things you dream of?’

“I don’t own tomorrow or yesterday – today is all I’ve got,” she adds. “And if I don’t make today good, then I’m only gonna’ be p–ssed off tomorrow!”

Applegate has also taken time for herself to grieve. Just weeks before having both her breasts removed this summer, two of her cats died and her ex-boyfriend, Lee Grivas, was found dead of an apparent drug overdose.

“To be honest, I think that was even more difficult and more painful than anything else,” she says of Grivas’ death. “It still is a lot of the time.”

She draws from her recent painful experiences for her day job as a sitcom star.

“I think I’m bringing a lot of me now to Sam, just in the sense of, ‘This too shall pass,’ you know?” she says.

Us Magazine

I think Christina Applegate is amazing for talking about this publicly. The decision to have a double mastectomy is an extreme and often controversial one.

In Australia a breast reconstruction following cancer is considered cosmetic, unnecessary surgery, and is not completely covered by our public health system, but I think that attitude needs to change. It can be a final step in recovery, for some women, to feel they are getting their femininity back.

Christina is currently working on Samantha Who? where she plays the title character as well as performing duties as producer. I get the impression from comments made by her colleagues that she has a strong work ethic, and chose to not have chemo primarily to preserve her fertility, but also so that production on the series could continue.

Christina Applegate is shown on the set of “Everything Is Going to Be Just Fine” in LA on 11/4/08. Credit: ODuran/Fame Pictures