Bruce Willis’ early dementia symptoms dismissed as return of childhood stuttering

Bruce Willis‘ Because he struggled with stuttering in his childhood, early signs of dementia were ignored.

When asked what the first signs were that the actor was struggling with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and aphasia, his wife said that “it starts with the language.”

“He had a severe stutter in his childhood,” Emma Heming Willis said. Town and Country.

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Bruce Willis’ early signs of dementia were initially dismissed due to the “severe” stuttering he suffered in his childhood. (Zengin Anger/Getty Images)

“Bruce always had a stutter, but he was good at covering it up. As his language started to change, it (seemed) to be just part of the stutter, just Bruce.”

“Bruce always had a stutter, but he was good at covering it up.”

—Emma Heming Willis

What helped the “Die Hard” star with his stutter was an acting class that also helped launch his successful career in Hollywood.

“She went to college and had a drama teacher who said, ‘I have something that will help you,'” Emma explained.

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Emma Heming Willis has revealed that being honest with her two young daughters is the best way for them to learn about their father’s struggle with dementia. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images))

“From that class, Bruce realized that he could memorize a script and say it without stuttering. This is what pushed him into acting.”

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Bruce rose to fame when he starred in “Die Hard.” The film became the highest-grossing action film of 1988 and marked the beginning of his long, successful career in show business.

In March 2022, it was announced that Bruce would be “stepping away” from his acting career. aphasia diagnosis. It was later announced that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD.

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Bruce rose to fame when he starred in the movie “Die Hard.” (Getty Images)

According to the National Institute on Aging, FTD is “the result of damage to neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.” “Many possible symptoms may occur, including unusual behavior, emotional problems, communication problems, difficulty at work, or difficulty walking.”

Bruce’s wife EmmaShe also described how the actor had sensitive but difficult conversations with his two young daughters about dementia.

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“Finally getting a diagnosis was crucial so I could learn what frontotemporal dementia is and educate our children,” Emma told Town & Country.

(L-R) Rumer Willis, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Scout Willis, Emma Heming Willis and Tallulah Willis attend Demi Moore’s ‘Inside Out’ Book Party on September 23, 2019. (Getty Images)

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Although Emma sat down with her daughters to explain Bruce’s struggle with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, she shared that her children had seen a change in his health even before he spoke.

“I wasn’t trying to sugarcoat anything for them. They grew up in an environment where Bruce was weakened over the years. I’m not trying to protect them from that.”

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The 46-year-old model explained that being honest with her two children – Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10 – was the best way for her daughters to learn about Bruce’s dementia battle.