October 30th 2024.
Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, recently shared an update on the actor’s health, revealing that a return of his childhood stutter was the first sign of his dementia. The 69-year-old Die Hard star was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia last year, which came shortly after his retirement from acting in 2022 due to aphasia. Emma and Bruce's ex-wife, Demi Moore, have been providing health updates to the public in the hopes of raising awareness for this disease.
In an interview with Town & Country, Emma opened up about the initial signs of Bruce’s cognitive decline, saying that the family didn’t realize anything was wrong when his language started to change. She explained, "For Bruce, it started with language. As a child, he had a severe stutter, but he was able to overcome it thanks to a theatre teacher who taught him a technique to memorize scripts and speak without stuttering. This is what led him to pursue acting." Even when his speech started to change, Emma didn’t think much of it. She said, "His stutter was something he always had but was good at covering up, so when his language started changing, I just thought it was a part of his stutter. I never imagined it could be a form of dementia, especially at such a young age."
It wasn’t until a few years later that Bruce was officially diagnosed with FTD. Emma explained that this disease is often misdiagnosed, misunderstood, or completely missed. She also mentioned that it’s difficult to determine where Bruce ends and where his disease begins. The couple shares two daughters, Mabel (12) and Evelyn (10), and Emma said that the girls began to notice their father’s cognitive decline before the diagnosis was made. She never sugarcoated anything for them, but she also never expected that their plans to do and experience beautiful things together would be cut short by this disease.
Despite the challenges they are facing, Emma is learning to take some control back and see the cracks of light in their situation. She said, "It’s not the most beautiful story I could have thought of, but I’m learning to accept it and make the most out of every moment we have together." Bruce also has three adult daughters from his first marriage to Demi Moore - Rumer (36), Scout (33), and Tallulah (30). Last year, Tallulah wrote an essay for Vogue where she shared her experience of noticing the early signs of her father’s dementia.
The family is now facing the reality of living with a disease that has no treatment or cure. Emma encourages others to learn more about Alzheimer's disease and dementia by visiting the Alzheimer's Society website or calling their support line. She also encourages people to share their stories and raise awareness for this disease. If you have a celebrity story or personal experience you’d like to share, you can contact the entertainment team at The Agency through email, phone, or by visiting their website. Every voice matters in the fight against dementia.
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