Bruce Willis announced on Wednesday that he would be stepping away from his acting career after being diagnosed with a brain condition.
In a joint statement written on Instagram his family said: “[He] has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting on his cognitive abilities [and] with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
What is Aphasia?
According to the NHS, aphasia is when a person has difficulty with their language or speech, usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain.
Causes of aphasia include a stroke (the most common cause), severe head injury and brain tumours.
Speaking problems are most common when people are diagnosed with aphasia, which can sometimes involve putting words together incorrectly.
Speech and language therapy is usually the main type of treatment for people with the diagnosis.
Several people have sent their commiserations to Willis and his family following the statement, with comments from Jamie Lee Curtis who said: “Grace and guts! Love to you all!” and Rachel Zoe: “I am so sorry and sending all the love and healing to you”.
