Jamie-Lynn Sigler Says She Tried to Ignore MS During “Carefree” Romance

Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler is sharing new details about living with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her new memoir, And So It Is...: A Memoir of Acceptance and Hope.

Sigler, 44, says there was a time when she tried to hide the challenges of living with the chronic autoimmune disease, especially during a relationship with an athlete she calls “Tom” in the book.

She writes that, unlike in a previous relationship with actor Jerry Ferrara, she did not fully open up about her condition to Tom. Instead, she wanted to seem “unburdened” and carefree.

“I wanted to reassure him,” Sigler writes. “This won’t affect your life.”

According to Sigler, the couple rarely discussed her diagnosis after she first told him. She says the relationship focused more on fun and escaping reality than on her health struggles.

One difficult moment happened during a date at a New York Yankees game. Sigler says she suddenly lost control of her bladder while sitting in a crowded luxury box.

“I was in shock,” she writes. “Completely mortified.”

Unable to leave without drawing attention, Sigler quickly texted actress JoAnna Garcia, who was also at the game supporting her now-husband, former Yankees player Nick Swisher.

Sigler asked Garcia to pretend to spill a drink on her to hide the accident. Garcia immediately helped.

“Within minutes, she was there,” Sigler writes. “She casually spilled a beer on me. Crisis averted.”

Sigler says the incident would once have caused her to “spiral,” but she handled it differently during that period of her life.

Although she does not identify “Tom” in the memoir, Sigler has previously dated professional athletes, including former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez. She has been married for 10 years to former baseball player Cutter Dykstra.

Sigler says the relationship described in the book felt exciting and carefree, allowing her to temporarily forget about the stress of living with MS. But eventually, she says, her condition could not be ignored.

Sigler was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 20 but publicly revealed her diagnosis in 2016. She has since become more open about her experiences and advocates for others living with chronic illness.

Her memoir is now available in bookstores.