Former Sopranos star Jamie-Lynn Sigler recently opened up about a very personal secret, revealing she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) 15 years ago at the age of 20.
Now, the 34-year-old actress is speaking out about the “shame and guilt” she felt after being told to keep her condition quiet.
The actress, who went public with her story just days after tying the knot with now-husband Cutter Dykstra earlier this month, said a Hollywood icon had told her she would put her career at risk if she ever spoke up about her diagnosis.
“I know they were looking out for me at the time but they said, ‘’I’m going to pretend you didn’t tell me that, and I don’t think you should ever tell anyone that you have this disease, because people will limit you, people will judge you, and they won’t hire you,’” she told the Today show.
“And I took that advice. I was 20 years old and I was scared and I thought that was the best thing.”
After years of living with her secret and feeling “shame and guilt and fear”, Jamie-Lynn says coming clean was like lifting a “great weight” from her shoulders.
She confessed the truth to her Sopranos co-stars, who were completely supportive and encouraging of the need for her to go public with her story.
“I was afraid, but I’m not anymore,” she said.
Jamie-Lynn and her baseball player hubby Cutter Dykstra. Photo: Getty
MS damages the central nervous system and affects the way information is communicated between the brain and the body and within the brain itself.
Jamie-Lynn says her symptoms include weakness on the right side of her body, an inability to run and a difficulty walking for long periods of time without rest. The actress keeps her symptoms stable by taking a pill two times a day, but she has previously tried everything from injections to infusions in a bid to manage her condition.
The star, who has a two-year-old son, Beau Kyle, said it was becoming a mother that helped spur her big reveal.
“I’m at a point in my life with my son, with my new marriage, it’s a new me. I don’t want to hold a secret where it feels like I have something to be ashamed of or have something to hide,” she told People.
“It’s part of me, but it’s not who I am.”
Jamie-Lynn with her husband and adorable son Beau Kyle. Photo: Instagram
