Heartbreaking.
He is one of Hollywood's most famous and beloved actors, but yesterday evening, Bruce Willis' family announced his retirement from acting, telling fans that the 67-year-old has been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disorder.
In an emotional statement on social media, Willis' family told his millions of fans across the globe that the 67-year-old has been diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects the ability to understand and use language and speech, and will therefore be stepping away from acting.
The social media post, which was shared online Wednesday by both Bruce Willis' own account, his wife Emma Willis and ex-wife, Demi Moore's accounts too, reads:
"To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family, we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.
This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him.
As Bruce always says, “Live it up” and together we plan to do just that.
Love,
Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, & Evelyn"
The heartbreaking statement was signed by both his wife, Emma, and ex-wife Demi Moore, as well as all five of Bruce's daughters.
The actor has daughters Rumer, 33, Scout, 30, and Tallulah, 28, with Demi Moore, to whom he was married from 1987 to 2000, and he also has two little girls, Mabel, 9, and Evelyn, 7, with his wife Emma, 43.
What is aphasia?
According to the HSE, aphasia is a communication disorder that can occur after a stroke or head injury.
It can affect a person’s ability to speak or understand what others say to them. People with aphasia can think clearly but can have difficulty getting messages in and out. Aphasia does not affect a person’s intelligence.
The condition is always due to injury to the brain, most commonly from a stroke, but can also occur after head trauma, brain tumours, but in rarer cases, infections can also cause aphasia.
As per today, the only treatment is speech and language therapies, with involvement from family members - but even with that, the condition could worsen.
It is currently unclear what lead to Willis' diagnosis, as this has not been confirmed by his family.
