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What many thought was just a return of Bruce Willis' childhood stutter turned out to be early signs of a much graver condition: frontotemporal dementia.
In an interview with Town & Country, the Hollywood icon's wife, Emma Heming Willis, shared the overlooked clues of her husband's illness, bringing to light the subtle onset of the disease.
"For Bruce, it started with language," Emma — who shares two young daughters with the Die Hard star — revealed in the interview, which was published Tuesday, October 29. "He had a severe stutter as a child. He went to college, and there was a theater teacher who said, 'I've got something that's going to help you.' From that class, Bruce realized that he could memorize a script and be able to say it without stuttering. That's what propelled him into acting."
She continued, "Bruce has always had a stutter, but he has been good at covering it up. As his language started changing, it [seemed like it] was just a part of a stutter, it was just Bruce. Never in a million years would I think it would be a form of dementia for someone so young."
The 46-year-old former model went on to explain that "All neurodegenerative diseases are different," adding, "For Bruce, it started in his temporal lobes and then has spread to the frontal part of his brain. It attacks and destroys a person's ability to walk, think, make decisions."
Initially, the Sixth Sense actor, 69, was thought to have aphasia, a symptom common in various neurological conditions but not a definitive diagnosis on its own. "FTD whispers, it doesn't shout," Emma pointed out, emphasizing how tough it is to pin down the exact onset of the disease.
Despite the challenges, the blended Willis family has rallied around Bruce, redefining their plans and finding strength in unity. "We had so many plans, so many beautiful things we wanted to do with our girls, so many things that we wanted to experience together," Emma shared. "You just rip that page out completely, and then how do you rewrite the story? I'm learning how to take some control back."
Bruce and Emma tied the knot in 2009 after meeting at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. "When we first met, I was surprised at how charming and how funny he was — and extremely handsome," the English broadcaster told People at the time.
The couple have since welcomed two girls: Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10. Bruce also shares Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, with ex-wife, Demi Moore.
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