Jamie-Lynn Sigler from the hit HBO series 'The Sopranos' has come out about her long battle with multiple sclerosis, admitting that it was something that affected her even while on set in her twenties. She explains that while she hasn't always had symptoms, the disease has a big impact on her now.

Jamie-Lynn SiglerJamie-Lynn Sigler is ready to talk about her long-term illness

Sigler, who plays Tony Soprano's daughter in 'The Sopranos', was diagnosed with the debilitating autoimmune disease at the age of just 20, but never revealed to anybody but a few people about it. 'I wasn't ready until now', she told People magazine, though added that it's still not easy to talk about. 'You'd think that after all these years, somebody would be settled with something like this, but it's still hard to accept.'

Initially, she only told a few people close to her about her struggle, including her late co-star James Gandolfini, because she didn't want anybody to become 'suspicious' and probably feared losing her job. 'Sometimes all I needed was like five or 10 minutes to sit and recharge but I wouldn't ask', she revealed. 

These days, even the simplest of tasks can be a struggle and it's even started affecting what film and TV roles she can take on. 'I can't walk for a long period of time without resting. I cannot run. No superhero roles for me', she says. 'When I walk, I have to think about every single step, which is annoying and frustrating.'

Nonetheless, Sigler, now aged 34, has a positive outlook on her life with enough drugs to ease her symptoms, a new husband and her 2-year-old son Beau. '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 adds. 

'It's part of me, but it's not who I am.'