White House Gate-Crasher Turned Real Housewife Michaele Salahi Reveals MS Battle

Controversial Real Housewives of D.C. castmate admits she's been suffering a 17-year battle with the debilitating disease

By Gina Serpe Sep 15, 2010 3:10 PMTags

To everyone who thought Tareq and Michaele Salahi's book deal (yes, they got a book deal) would result in nothing more than more blatant self-promotion and assorted reality-star grandstanding, well, shame on you.

In their new ebook, Cirque du Salahi: Be Careful Who You Trust, the couple revealed for the first time that Michaele has long suffered not from anorexia, as has been widely speculated on The Real Housewives of D.C., but from multiple sclerosis.

"We also want America to know that you can still have a full, exciting and productive life even if you or your loved one is battling a debilitating, chronic disease such as MS," the couple said in a statement.

There were no details revealed about when or how Michaele discovered her diagnosis (gotta buy the book for that), but she was slightly more forthcoming during an interview with Fox & Friends this morning.

The 44-year-old said she was diagnosed with the disease 17 years ago—back when she was Michelle Ann Holt—and that it has been a trying battle ever since, particularly in the wake of her costars' increasingly tactless critiques of her appearance on the reality show.

"You know, I am—I don't deal with anorexic, I'm not an anorexic and I've never had an eating disorder," she said, emotionally adding that this is the "first time I've said it publicly."

"My own family, my cousins, a lot of the people dearest to me, my best friend just found out, so it's something that I kept personal. I think a lot of people do with chronic illnesses or any type of disease. I kept it personal because I never wanted to be judged, I never wanted pity and I certainly wanted to hold on to my job."

In the book, the Salahis claim that a sudden spell of vertigo and tingling is what caused them to abruptly leave the White House state dinner last year, not, you know, paranoia that they would be kicked out for having been unwelcome in the first place.

Check out the Salahis' fellow castmates in our Real Housewives of D.C. gallery!