In order to keep her breast cancer diagnosis a secret, Christina Applegate says she told those in her inner circle to shield her from contact for weeks.

"I told my make-up and hair people and people that are really close to me just so I had a protection wall so that no one was pushing me," Christina told Ellen DeGeneres on her show today.

While she returned to the set for weeks after her double-mastectomy, Christina, who revealed her diagnosis in August, hid her cancer from others and was reluctant to hug people.

"But now I'm good. I'll grab you," she told Ellen.

"I'm going to hug you a bunch during this commercial break," responded the daytime host. The Samantha Who? star says she's feeling better now, and is cancer-free.

She was nominated for an Emmy this year for her starring role on the show, and won an Emmy in the past for a guest role on Friends.