'Today' 's Jill Martin Is 'Grateful' Breast Cancer Diagnosis Came After Her Wedding (Exclusive)

The 'Today' show contributor wed Erik Brooks at the New York Public Library in New York City in September

Jill Martin says she is happy that her breast cancer diagnosis occurred after her September 2022 wedding.

While chatting exclusively with PEOPLE about her illness, the Today show contributor, 47, says she feels as though her "life will be defined [as] before and after the diagnosis," and explains that she is "grateful" her wedding to Erik Brooks took place before she learned of her breast cancer, because it "was such a purely happy event."

"I feel like this is a new chapter with a new journey," Martin says. "[But] that's not bad because I am going to take this. It will just be different."

"And my choices will be affected by it, and my lifestyle will be affected by it, and my outlook will be affected by it. And there will be a lot of beautiful, positive silver linings that come out of it, and of course, heartbreak," she continues. "I mean, this is heartbreaking."

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Related: 'TODAY' Contributor Jill Martin Marries Businessman Erik Brooks in Romantic Ceremony

Martin married businessman Brooks at the New York Public Library in New York City last fall.

The lifestyle and commerce correspondent got engaged to the Ethos Capital founder in the Hamptons in May 2019. At the time, the pair had been dating for nearly two years.

Martin previously told PEOPLE that she knew Brooks was "the One" when he "found my many eccentricities 'adorable.' "

She also said at the time that she was "excited, grateful and ready to dance the night away" with all of the couple's wedding guests, noting: "We chose a location and set up what worked for everyone in our family. When you get married later in life, making sure it is about everyone is so important."

Related: Today's Jill Martin Diagnosed with Breast Cancer — One Week After Testing Positive for the BRCA Gene (Exclusive)

Martin revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this week, shortly after she tested positive for the BRCA gene — which links to a significantly higher possibility of developing breast or ovarian cancer.

She shared the news on the Today show Monday morning and in an essay on Today.com. She'll begin a leave of absence effective immediately to undergo a bilateral mastectomy and begin additional treatment.

"I am in shock but, at the same time, I'm so grateful because it could be a very different story that we're talking about," Martin previously told PEOPLE. "Of course I'm devastated. You hear the C-word and you think the worst. But after you hear the word and you absorb it, you then have to be your own best friend."

She added: "And also having the platform to share my story has given me strength, because I feel like while I'm healing, I will be able to help, literally, save lives. And if I save one life from this, then this process will have been worth it for me."

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