( CNN ) -- Michaele Salahi , best known for crashing a White House state dinner with her husband last year , suffers from multiple sclerosis , according to a new book released Wednesday . Salahi 's wafer-thin frame has often prompted rumors of anorexia , including from her castmate Lynda Erkiletian in the Bravo reality show , `` The Real Housewives of DC . '' However , according to the book , the 44-year-old has suffered from multiple sclerosis for nearly 17 years . According to a news release , `` Cirque du Salahi : Be Careful Who You Trust '' will also dissect how the media got the story of the White House gate-crashing `` wrong from the get-go . '' The Virginia couple slipped through White House security and shook hands with President Barack Obama in November despite not being on the guest list for a state dinner for the prime minister of India . They also had their pictures taken with Vice President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh . The book claims to lay out details on when and why the Salahis were invited to the dinner . Author Diane Dimond apparently also outlines the reasons why the couple did not publicly offer an explanation . `` On attorney 's advice , and because of their 'iron-clad ' contracts with Bravo , ( the network on which she appears for `` The Real Housewives of DC '' ) , the Salahis felt they could not defend themselves -- not even when called before a committee of the United States Congress . Only now , that the danger of a possible federal indictment has faded with time , do they feel they can tell their side of the story . '' Under questioning from the House Homeland Security Committee in January , husband , Tareq Salahi , repeated over and over again , `` On the advice of counsel , I respectfully assert my right to remain silent and decline to answer your question . '' The book says the couple has received death threats , subjected to late night TV ridicule and , in one instance , `` Michaele barely escaped flipping her car during a high speed chase with paparazzi . '' `` We hope now that the book is out , America does n't look upon us as criminals and crashers any longer , '' the couple said in a statement . `` 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. '' Multiple sclerosis is a potentially debilitating disease in which the body 's immune system eats away at the protective sheath that covers the nerves . This leads to an interference in communication between the brain and the rest of the body . It affects 400,000 people in the United States , according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society .
He has suffered from multiple personalities for nearly 17 years , he says . They are best known for slipping into a state dinner . He says it will find out when and why the Salahis were invited .