Bruce Willis’s signs of early dementia are dismissed as a return of childhood stuttering

Bruce WillisEarly signs of dementia were dismissed as he struggled with stuttering as a child.

When asked what his initial symptoms were as the actor struggled with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and aphasia, his wife shared that “it started with language.”

“He had a severe stutter as a child,” Emma Heming Willis said during an interview with City & Country.

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Bruce Willis’ early symptoms of dementia were initially dismissed as the “severe” stuttering he had had as a child. (Rich Rage/Getty Images)

“Bruce has always had a stutter, but he has been good at covering it up. When his language started to change, it (it seemed) was just part of the stutter, it was just Bruce.”

“Bruce has always had a stutter, but he’s been good at covering it up.”

– Emma Heming Willis

What helped the ‘Die Hard’ star with his stutter was acting lessons, which also helped launch his successful career in Hollywood.

“He went to college and there was a theater teacher who said, ‘I’ve got something that’s going to help you,’” Emma explained.

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Emma Heming Willis explained that being honest with their two young daughters was the best way for them to learn more about their father’s battle with dementia. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images))

“From that lesson, Bruce realized he could memorize a script and speak it without stuttering. That was what led him to acting.”

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Bruce became famous when he starred in ‘Die Hard’. The film became the highest-grossing action film of 1988 and marked the start of his long, successful career in show business.

In March 2022, it was announced that Bruce would be leaving his acting career due to an incident aphasia diagnosis. It was later revealed that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD.

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Bruce became famous when he starred in the movie ‘Die Hard’. (Getty Images)

FTD is “the result of damage to neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain,” according to the National Institute on Aging. “Many possible symptoms can occur, including unusual behavior, emotional problems, communication problems, difficulty working, or difficulty walking.”

Bruce’s wife, Emmaalso shared how she has had vulnerable, but difficult conversations about the actor’s dementia with their two young daughters.

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“Finally getting a diagnosis was crucial so I could learn what frontotemporal dementia is and educate our children,” Emma told Town & Country.

(L-R) Rumer Willis, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Scout Willis, Emma Heming Willis and Tallulah Willis attend Demi Moore’s ‘Inside Out’ Book Party on September 23, 2019. (Getty Images)

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Although Emma sat down with their daughters to explain Bruce’s battle with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, she said their children saw a change in his health even before the conversation.

‘I never tried to hide anything from them. They grew up while Bruce deteriorated over the years. I’m not trying to protect them from it.’

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The 46-year-old model explained that being honest with their two children – Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10 – was the best way for their daughters to learn more about Bruce’s battle with dementia.