Christina Applegate regrets lying about how she felt during her battle with breast cancer

During an appearance on the 'Armchair Expert' podcast, she explained: "In 2008, when I had breast cancer at 36 years old, I went out, and I was the good girl talking about 'Oh, I love my new boobs' that are all scarred and [messed] up. What was I thinking?"

Christina pinpoints a particular interview with TV host Robin Roberts, confessing she didn't tell the truth about her pain and ended up sobbing as soon as the cameras were off because "it was a lie".

She said: "My first interview was with Robin Roberts when I had cancer, and I'm sitting there lying my a** off about how I felt.

"Everything I was saying was a freaking lie. It was me trying to convince myself of something, and I think that did no service to anyone."

Yes, I started a foundation right away. Yes, I did all the things that I had to do, and we raised millions of dollars for women to get MRIs who were at high risk.

"Yes, we did a good thing, but at the back of it, I was taking off my bra and crying every night. And I wish that I had said that."

She went on to reveal she had taken the experience and used it to give advice to a friend who is also suffering from cancer - urging her to take down a social media post that read: "If there's anyone that can beat it, it's going to be me."

Christina went on: "I said, 'Take it down'. I said, 'Take it down right now because someone's mom just died, and she was pretty strong. Someone's daughter just died, someone's sister just died, someone's dad just died from this.

"Take it down.' I said, 'What you're gonna do is you're going to be honest every step of the way through your chemo, your radiation, all the stuff. It ended up that people really were helped by what she did."