Bruce Willis’ devastating double diagnosis explained: How aphasia led to dementia

ACTOR Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia, his family has announced.

The Hollywood legend, 67, quit acting last year after being diagnosed with aphasia - a condition that affects speech and language - which has now sadly "progressed".

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the most common form of dementia in people under 60 and symptoms include personality changes, obsessive behaviour and speaking difficulties.

The actor's daughter Rumer, 34, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Demi Moore, shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram.

 explained that Bruce's condition was sadly "not treatable".

In some cases, aphasia can progress into dementia.

The speech condition, usually occurs after a stroke or head injury, the NHS says.

But the onset of aphasia may be the result of a neurological condition that cause the brain and nervous system to become damaged over time, such as .

Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, refers to a group of disorders caused by nerve cell loss in the brain’s frontal lobes.

This is the area behind your forehead and it can also be found in the regions behind your ears, known as the temporal lobe.

According to the , this nerve damage leads to a loss of function in these brain regions.

This can cause symptoms such as a deterioration in behaviour,  personality issues or problems understanding others.

FTD is caused by an abnormal clumping of proteins, in the frontal and temporal lobes at the front and sides of the brain, the NHS says.

The clumping of these proteins damages nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes, causing brain cells to die.

This leads to shrinking of these areas of the brain.

This type of dementia is more likely to run in families than other, more common forms of the disease, like vascular dementia.

The statement read: "Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support, and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis.

"In the spirit of that, we wanted to give you an update about our beloved husband, father, and friend since we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing."

The post went on to detail the "painful" disease the Pulp Fiction star is facing.

"Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD).

"Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis."