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Bruce Willis celebrates 68th birthday following dementia diagnosis
21 March 2023, 16:42 | Updated: 21 March 2023, 17:00
The Die Hard actor was captured singing and blowing out candles while surrounded by his family.
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Bruce Willis celebrated his 68th Birthday on Monday (21st March) surrounded by his family.
The Hollywood actor hit the headlines recently after it was announced he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) earlier this year.
His ex-wife Demi Moore shared a video of the moment, which was captioned: "Happy birthday, BW! So glad we could celebrate you today. Love you and love our family. Thank you to everyone for the love and warm wishes — we all feel them."
The video sees Willis joining his family in a chorus of Happy Birthday, after which he blows out two candles to his birthday cake, which came in the form of an apple pie.
Willis has three eldest daughters - Rumer, Scout and Tallulah who he shares with ex-wife Demi Moore, 60, and two younger daughters Mabel and Evelyn, who he shares with his wife of 14 years, Emma Hemming Willis, 44.
Hemming Willis also shared a heartfelt post on her Instagram thanking his fans for their support.
Speaking in the video, she began: "So today is my husband's birthday. I've started the morning by crying as you can see by my swollen eyes and snotty nose.
"I just think it's important that you see all sides of this. I always get this message where people always tell me, 'Oh like you're so strong. I don't know how you do it.' I'm not given a choice. I wish I was, but I'm also raising two kids in this. So, sometimes in our lives we have to put our big girl panties on and get to it. And that's what I'm doing, but I do have times of sadness every day."
See her post below:
She captioned the post: "Today is one of those days of feeling the grief and sadness. But the silver lining or the flip side is that I’m so lucky to feel your warmth and love that is directed to my husband and our family. I see your messages, your stories that you share, and all I can say is thank you. Your connection helps me and I hope it helps you in a small way to know that I see you and I deeply understand your journey as well".
READ MORE: Is Die hard a Christmas film?
After revealing that the actor had aphasia back in 2022, the family announced last month that his condition had progressed to FTD.
In a joint statement, they began: "As a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the past ten months. Your generosity of spirit has been overwhelming, and we are tremendously grateful for it. For your kindness, and because we know you love Bruce as much as we do, we wanted to give you an update.
"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."
They continued: "FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone. For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.
"Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately. We know in our hearts that – if he could today -- he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families."
They concluded: "Bruce has always found joy in life – and has helped everyone he knows to do the same. It has meant the world to see that sense of care echoed back to him and to all of us. We have been so moved by the love you have all shared for our dear husband, father, and friend during this difficult time. Your continued compassion, understanding, and respect will enable us to help Bruce live as full a life as possible.
"-Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, and Evelyn".
