Well isn’t this just the most depressing year ever. It’s raining all the time here in Blighty, and, to make matters worse, seemingly everyone in the world of showbiz is coming down with one illness or another or having accidents.

We’ve been told Bernie Mac is at death’s door, only to then be told no, actually, he isn’t, Patrick Swayze was then diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, then we get Shia LaBeouf and Morgan Freeman both involved in car accidents. And let’s not forget both Elizabeth Taylor and political commentator Robert Novak‘s recent turns for the worse.

Now it’s Christina Applegate‘s turn to join the celebrity illness pile, as it was revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Certainly 2008 is not the best year for celebrity health.

Applegate, 36, has been a keen supporter of cancer charities – especially breast cancer – for most of her life. Unlike a lot of poser celebrities who only jump on the bandwagon once an illness affects them directly, Christina has helped countless fundraisers over the years without the need for any personal prompting.

Which makes it all the better to hear when her representative released this statement:

“Christina Applegate was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. Benefiting from early detection through a doctor ordered MRI, the cancer is not life-threatening…Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery.”

See – that’s more like it. Someone who actually comes across as a genuinely nice person, who actually puts her heart into a cause before she has a vested interest in doing so should be getting better.

This leaves Christina Applegate open to appearing in a remake of ‘Married… With Children’ as well as ‘Anchorman 2′ – we all know how much Hollywood loves its lack of imagination, and Applegate will apparently be around for a fair while to get on board, so it’s win win!

Oh, and don’t forget the long-overdue sequel to ‘Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead’, which we at hecklerspray are all champing at the bit to go and see.

Though, to be honest, the basic premise would be pretty hard to recycle for a sequel; what with the title giving the entire plot away for the first film – it would be hard to think of something to top that little ditty.

And frankly, why would Christina Applegate need a babysitter at 36? Mere technicalities, of course, Hollywood will surely find a way.

As seems to be pretty much the norm over the last year or so, we’re sending out more of those positive space-beams we’re trying to make popular, and wishing Christina a speedy recovery.

It’s quite annoying not being able to stir things up as we normally would… normal service will hopefully be resumed when everyone in Hollywood stops trying to die.

Oh, and for those wanting to know more about breast cancer: go here.