Michaele Salahi is opening up in more ways than one.

Earlier this month, it was revealed (pun intended) that the Real Housewives of D.C. star would taking it all off for an upcoming issue of Playboy magazine. Now the 44-year-old is exposing another side of herself.

In an interview Wednesday morning with with Fox & Friends, Michaele—with help from husband Tareq and Diane Dimond, the author of a new book about the Salahis—said she’s been keeping a secret for the past 17 years: she has multiple sclerosis.

“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,” the infamous White House “party crasher” stated. “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.”

So why would Michaele choose to divulge this information now?

“Maybe at this time with the White House and everything that took place … maybe all of this happened for a reason. Now I can do something good to help someone else,” Salahi explained.

Now I’m not saying the Salahis made this story up – but is anyone else wondering how Michaele could start smiling so quickly after getting choked up? Cue the video to about the :20 mark and check it out for yourself.