American actor Bruce Willis cannot speak due to progressive dementia, and his family has placed him in a separate house with 24-hour medical support, the actor's wife, English actress and model Emma Heming, said in an interview with ABC.
In March 2022, Willis' family announced Bruce Willis' departure from the film industry after he was diagnosed with aphasia, which impairs cognitive abilities.
In an interview with ABC, the actor's wife spoke about her new book “The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope and Self through Care“, which tells the story of Willis' life and diagnosis. According to Heming, after a long battle with the disease, the actor's brain “gives up“ and his ability to communicate disappears.
Hemming also spoke about the first signs of the disease: Willis forgot his lines during filming and behaved distantly and coldly with his family.
“Bruce is generally in good health. It's just that his brain is failing him. His speech is disappearing and... we've learned to adapt. We communicate with him in a different way“, said Hemming. An excerpt from the interview was published on the television channel's website.
Willis's wife noted that the actor still slightly recognizes his family. According to Hemming, she and other relatives still see “faint echoes“ of the old Willis. However, due to the progressive disease, the family decided to place the actor in a "second home", where he is under the care of medical professionals around the clock. She specified that the one-story building is easy for Willis to navigate and minimizes noise, which can be disturbing for patients with frontotemporal dementia.
“When we go to visit, stand outside or watch a movie ... the main thing is to be there with Bruce. It's so nice to see how many of Bruce's friends come to visit him,“ adds Hemming.
Bruce Willis has played about 130 film roles. The actor starred in popular films such as “Die Hard“ (1988), “Criminal“ (1994), “Twelve Monkeys“ (1995), “Four Rooms“ (1995), “The Fifth Element“ (1997), “Armageddon“ (1998), “The Nine Yards“ (2000), “Sin City“ (2005) and others.