Bruce Willis has trouble speaking as 'language skills are not there' amid devastating dementia battle
Bruce Willis is 'not fully verbal'
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Bruce Willis, 68, has taken a step back from the public eye since being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
A friend has spoken about the actor's current condition and his language skills.
Writer and producer Glenn Gordon Caron gave details on recent interactions with Bruce.
He explained the actor is struggling with language skills, such as reading and speaking.
His family shared his diagnosis last year
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"My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am," Glenn told Page Six.
"He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader - he didn’t want anyone to know that - and he’s not reading now."
His friend explained the actor barely spoke, however he has not lost who he is.
Glenn said: "All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce.
"When you’re with him you know that he’s Bruce and you’re grateful that he’s there, but the joie de vivre is gone."
Bruce's diagnosis was first shared in a statement released by his family in March 2022.
Last month, his wife Emma Heming Willis gave an update on Bruce's health.
She spoke about the struggles of living with dementia and how their young daughters were helping to care for Bruce.
She said the illness had taken a toll on the family, but it was "hard to know" if Bruce was aware of his condition.
"The most important thing was to be able for us to say what the disease was, explain what it is because when you know what the disease is.
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His wife Emma recently gave an update on his health
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"When they say that this is a family disease, it really is," she said on Today.
"From a medical standpoint it sort of all makes sense. It was the blessing and the curse.
"It doesn't make it any less painful but just being in the acceptance and just being in the know of what is happening to Bruce just makes it a little bit easier."
Frontotemporal dementia includes symptoms such as unusual behaviour, emotional problems, trouble communicating and difficulty with walk, according to the National Institute of Aging.
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