Bruce Willis ‘secretly struggled with brain issues for nearly 20 YEARS before family revealed grave aphasia diagnosis’

BRUCE Willis secretly struggled with brain issues for nearly 20 years before his family revealed he has been diagnosed with aphasia, sources exclusively told The Sun.

The beloved 67-year-old’s relatives announced on Wednesday that he is retiring from acting because of the aggressive, cognitive disease.

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Insiders revealed the “inevitable” moment of saying farewell to his glittering career has been a long time coming.

It meant Bruce’s daughters Rumer and Scout, ex-wife Demi Moore and wife Emma Heming were given plenty of time to steal themselves.

A source said: “People who have been close to the family over these last twenty years or so knew this day was coming and see now that the inevitable has finally happened, Bruce is stepping away from acting and publicly acknowledging what’s going on with him.

“But for Demi and the kids, this has been an almost eighteen-year journey from first noticing that something was wrong to Bruce
finally accepting that he has to transition into retirement.

“Bruce’s grown daughters have known about this situation since 2005 or 2006 and they have been utterly sympathetic every step of the way.

“Bruce has worked with his slowly worsening condition for years, but it stopped being something anybody wanted to hide anymore.

“Bruce has the full support of Demi Moore, their daughters, and his wife Emma as he makes this next step, and nobody in the family has been caught off guard by it.

“If anything, they’re all happy Bruce was able to work and make a living as long as he could, and nobody’s ruling out that he could come back for special appearances or events if he’s up to it.

“But they’re officially in a new phase now where keeping Bruce as comfortable and out of pain as possible is the new priority, instead of keeping his acting jobs going.

“They’ve had years to brace themselves for his retirement, and everybody says they are so proud of Bruce that he was able to work this long after first becoming ill and addressing his symptoms.”

This has been an almost eighteen-year journey from first noticing that something was wrong to Bruce finally accepting that he has to transition.

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Bruce’s family put out a joint statement on their individual Instagram accounts on Wednesday alongside a picture of the star.

It said that Bruce had recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which means he has to step away from “the career that has meant so much to him.”

The announcement added: “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.”

Aphasia is a language disorder that affects a patient’s ability to express and understand written and spoken language.

It can happen suddenly after a stroke or head injury or develop slowly from a brain tumor or disease.

Bruce’s ex Demi Moore, 59, has been supportive of him and his current wife Emma, 43, while they adapt to living with the condition, The Sun understands.

CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY

Despite separating in 2000 the pair have remained extremely close.

Our source said: “Demi Moore and her small group of friends in Los Angeles have been completely helpful to Bruce and Emma as they make this transition, and it’s been very heartwarming to see.

“Demi is, in many ways, still Bruce’s closest and maybe only friend, especially since a lot of the men he came up with within the business have moved onto their own retirements.

“But because of the bond they have through their daughters, Demi has been with Bruce on every step of this journey, starting with his first serious symptoms which only showed up years after he and Demi divorced.

“People like to paint Demi as this selfish, type-A personality like one of her old nineties movie characters but what she has done to keep Bruce protected, safe, and able to work during these years should qualify her for sainthood.

“She’s an amazing woman and created a support system so that Bruce could keep acting and Emma could keep him comfortable and happy. Emma couldn’t have done this without Demi.”

What [Demi] has done to keep Bruce protected, safe, and able to work during these years should qualify her for sainthood.

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The source added that Bruce’s strong relationship with daughters Rumer, 33, and Scout, 30, has been a source of pride in difficult times.

The insider said: “Even after Bruce and Demi’s divorce they are a loving and special family.

“Even after he knew he was sick, Bruce was spending every weekend he could with his daughters, taking them on shopping trips and going on group vacations during the years Ashton [Kutcher] and Demi were a couple.

“He would just get more generous with his daughters, year after year.

“Even as his condition advanced, he’s proud he’s still been able to be ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ and his daughters savored all the time they had with him.

“They’ve had years to brace themselves for his retirement, and everybody says they are so proud of Bruce that he was able to work this long after first becoming ill and addressing his symptoms.”

A rep for Bruce said: “We have no further statement other than the family statement which was issued yesterday.”

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