White House gatecrasher Michaele Salahi has Multiple Sclerosis

Washington, Sept 16 (ANI): "Real Housewives of Washington D.C." star Michaele Salahi has revealed the reason behind her thin and sometimes frail appearance.

The reality star, best known for crashing a White House party with her husband Tareq in 2009, has been fighting Multiple Sclerosis for 17 years.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease that causes brain and spinal cord damage, leading to physical and cognitive disabilities.

Salahi made the emotional confession during an appearance on the Fox News morning show with Diane Diamond, the author of "Cirque Du Salahi: Be Careful Who You Trust."

"I'm not an anorexic and I've never had an eating disorder, but one thing I have kept a secret is for 17 years," Fox News quoted her as saying.

Diamond then continued for Salahi while she composed herself, saying, "For 17 years, Michaele has suffered from Multiple Sclerosis.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the National MS Society said, "weight loss is not a typical symptom of MS. However there are other factors that do influence appetite, like medication, fatigue and difficulty swallowing can affect weight loss, but it is not a typical symptom. Typical symptoms are numbness, tingling, pain and difficulty speaking."

According to the MS Society, while MS is a very "individualized disease" wherein "one treatment does not fit all," obesity is more of a problem than weight loss.

"You see people with MS who are obese.

"That is a big problem for people with MS, struggling to keep weight down.

"If [Salahi] says she does have difficulty with appetite, we can't say she doesn't, but she needs to see a doctor," the spokesperson added. (ANI)