Former The Sopranos star Edie Falco credits clean living for helping her beat breast cancer in 2003.

The actress has confessed she once struggled with alcohol but quit drinking 17 years ago - and she's convinced that decision helped her overcome her health crisis.

She tells Parade magazine, "I had really been taking care of myself for about 15 years before I got sick - not drinking, not smoking, eating well - so I fared very well. They (doctors) gave me very strong chemo drugs. I was so lucky that two of the biggest things in my life - my sobriety and my breast cancer - happened in the order they happened."

Falco reveals she found out she had cancer while working on the set of The Sopranos, and decided to keep her private battle a secret.

She explains, "I had my biopsy at eight in the morning. Within two hours, I knew I had cancer. I had a miserably hard time holding on to my lines (that day). It was a terribly frightening and surreal time, but I never missed a day of work, even on the worst chemo days."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)