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Jamie-Lynn Sigler is getting candid about her health.
The "Sopranos" alum just married her longtime love, pro baseball player Cutter Dykstra, last week and now she's dropping a health bombshell in the latest issue of People Magazine. The actress has been battling multiple scleosis for 15 years.
The 34-year-old was first diagnosed at 20-years-old and was not able to accept the reality or share the news until now.
"I wasn't ready until now," she says of her illness. "You'd think that after all these years, somebody would be settled with something like this, but it's still hard to accept."
Jamie reveals she went symptom-free for "quite some time" but over the last decade her MS, which damages the central nervous system, has made some activities difficult.
"I can't walk for a long period of time without resting. I cannot run. No superhero roles for me," she admits. "Stairs? I can do them but they're not the easiest. When I walk, I have to think about every single step, which is annoying and frustrating."
While MS still has no cure, the mom-of-one takes a twice-daily pill which has kept her symptoms stable for the past six years. She also credits a positive outlook, her new husband and their 2-year-old son, Beau, with giving her courage and support.
"Things are manageable now," she adds. "It takes a fighting attitude to deal with all this. This disease can absolutely take over your life if you let it."
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"I'm at a point in my life with my son, with my new marriage, it's a new me," she continues. "I don't want to hold a secret where it feels like I have something to be ashamed of or have something to hide. It's part of me, but it's not who I am."
As for her recent wedding, Sigler compares walking down the aisle to starting a new chapter in her life.
"I don't know what's to come. But I'm excited for the first time in a long time," she says. "I've got my brain and my heart and I've prepared myself for everything that could happen. But I've got an amazing husband, the best son, and I hope that we can make more babies and just keep having fun. I'm the luckiest girl in the world."
For more of Jamie's interview, check out this week's issue of People magazine.
