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Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), his family announced.

The 67-year-old Hollywood star was diagnosed in March 2022 with aphasia, a condition affecting the brain which causes difficulty with language and speech.

His relatives said at the time that he would be “stepping away” from acting.

A statement about the progression of his condition was signed by his current wife, Emma Heming Willis, and his former wife Demi Moore, as well as his children Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, and Evelyn.

Willis with his then-wife, Demi Moore, at the premiere of GI Jane, which was directed by Ridley Scott, left
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Willis with his then-wife, Demi Moore, at the premiere of GI Jane, which was directed by Ridley Scott

They said: “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.”

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‘A difficult diagnosis’ for Bruce Willis says Program Director for the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, Sharon Denny.

The NHS said FTD causes changes to personality, behaviour, language and movement, due to the areas of the brain that it affects, the front and sides of the brain.

As with other forms of dementia, the onset of the disease is slow to begin with but gradually gets worse.

What is frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and what are its symptoms?

The NHS says that FTD mostly affects people under the age of 65, although older people also suffer from it.

It causes changes to personality, behaviour, language, memory and movement, due to the areas of the brain that it affects (the frontal and temporal lobes).

There are also physical effects, such as slowness of movement, loss of bladder and bowel control and muscle weakness.

As with other forms of dementia, the condition degenerates slowly at first but then gradually gets worse over the years.

There is no single test for dementia: doctors will assess symptoms, carry out tests of mental abilities, take blood tests, carry out brain scans or undertake lumbar punctures.

There is currently no cure for FTD, but treatments such as medicines, therapies and memory activities can help control some of the symptoms.

The average survival time after symptoms start is between eight and 10 years.

Willis had received “an outpouring of love and compassion” over the past 10 months since his family revealed his aphasia diagnosis. “Your generosity of spirit has been overwhelming, and we are tremendously grateful for it”, the statement said.

The family hopes that by publicising Willis’s condition it will bring public attention to FTD, which there are currently no treatments for.

His relatives said: “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 Willis with Haley Joel Osment, his co-star in The Sixth Sense
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Bruce Willis with Haley Joel Osment, his co-star in The Sixth Sense

Read more:
Bruce Willis’s wife reveals ‘toll’ on mental health after aphasia diagnosis
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Die Hard star retires from acting after aphasia diagnosis

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The family hope the understanding and respect shown by the public would “enable us to help Bruce live as full a life as possible”.

“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,” they said.

Sharon Denny of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration told Sky News: “It’s a very difficult diagnosis, there’s no question about it.

“The challenges and the burden of care on families is significant… We know and the community of folks we’re connected to know just how challenging the disease is for families to be able to manage the symptoms and to face the loss of someone gradually over time.

“It really is a devastating diagnosis.”

Willis came to national attention alongside Cybill Shepherd in the 1980s TV hit Moonlighting.

His first big film role was as John McClane in the smash hit Die Hard in 1988. He went on to star in movies including Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys and The Sixth Sense.

Over four decades he starred in more than 100 films, which have amassed over $5bn (£4.17bn) at the box office worldwide.

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Trump and Putin agree on ‘many points’ in Ukraine talks – but give little detail away

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Trump and Putin agree on 'many points' in Ukraine talks - but give little detail away

Donald Trump has said there are “many points” he and Vladimir Putin agreed on after holding critical talks on the war in Ukraine – but no deal has been reached yet.

Following the much-anticipated meeting in Alaska, which lasted more than two-and-a-half hours, the two leaders gave a short media conference giving little detail about what had been discussed, and without taking questions.

Mr Trump described the meeting as “very productive” and said there were “many points that we agreed on… I would say a couple of big ones”.

Trump-Putin summit – latest updates

Trump and Putin in Alaska. Pic: Reuters
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Trump and Putin in Alaska. Pic: Reuters

There are a few left, he added. “Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there…

“We haven’t quite got there, we’ve made some headway. There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”

Mr Putin described the negotiations as “thorough and constructive”, and said Russia was “seriously interested in putting an end” to the war in Ukraine. He also warned Europe not to “torpedo nascent progress”.

Donald Trump greets Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Pic: AP/ Julia Demaree Nikhinson
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Donald Trump greets Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Pic: AP/ Julia Demaree Nikhinson

After much build-up to the summit, it was ultimately not clear whether the talks produced meaningful steps towards a ceasefire in what has been the deadliest conflict in Europe in 80 years.

Mr Trump said he intended to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders, who were excluded from the discussions, to brief them.

The news conference came after a grand arrival earlier in the day at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, where the US president stepped down from Air Force One and later greeted his Russian counterpart with a handshake and smiles on a red carpet.

Mr Putin even travelled alongside Mr Trump in the presidential limousine, nicknamed “The Beast”.

It was the kind of reception typically reserved for close US allies, belying the bloodshed and the suffering in the war.

Before the talks, the two presidents ignored frantically-shouted questions from journalists – and Mr Putin appeared to frown when asked by one reporter if he would stop “killing civilians” in Ukraine, putting his hand to his ear as though to indicate he could not hear.

Our US correspondent Martha Kelner, on the ground in Alaska, said he was shouting “let’s go” – apparently in reference to getting the reporters out of the room.

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Ukrainians are appalled at Trump’s naive and cack-handed diplomacy

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Ukrainians are appalled at Trump's naive and cack-handed diplomacy

For Ukrainians, the spectacle of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meeting in Alaska will be repugnant.

The man behind an unprovoked invasion of their country is being honoured with a return to the world stage by the leader of a country that was meant to be their ally.

And they feel let down.

Follow latest updates from Ukraine war

President Trump had threatened severe sanctions on Russia within 50 days if Russia didn’t agree to a deal. He had seemed close to imposing them before letting Putin wriggle off the hook yet again.

But they are not surprised. At every stage, Trump has either sided with Russia or at least given them the benefit of the doubt.

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‘Putin won’t mess around with me’

It is clear that Putin has some kind of hold over this American president, in their minds and many others.

More on Donald Trump

Ukraine wants three things out of these talks. A ceasefire, security guarantees and reparations. It is not clear at this stage that they will get any of them.

Ukrainians and their European allies are appalled at the naive and cack-handed diplomacy that has preceded this meeting.

Vladimir Putin is sending a team of foreign affairs heavyweights, adept at getting the better of opponents in negotiations.

There are, the Financial Times reported this week, no Russia specialists left at the Trump White House.

Instead, Trump is relying on Steve Witkoff, a real estate lawyer and foreign policy novice, who has demonstrated a haphazard mastery of his brief and breathtaking credulity with the Russians.

Former British spy chief Sir Alex Younger described him today as totally out of his depth. Trump, he says, is being played like a fiddle by Putin.

Read more:
What could Ukraine be asked to give up?
What to expect from pivotal Ukraine summit

There is a fundamental misunderstanding of the conflict at the heart of the Trump administration’s handling of it. Witkoff and the president see it in terms of real estate. But it has never been about territory.

Vladimir Putin has made it abundantly clear that Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign democratic entity cannot be tolerated. He has made no pretence that his views on that have changed.

Ukrainians know that and fear any deal cooked up in Alaska will be used by Putin on the path towards that ultimate goal

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Melania Trump threatens to sue Hunter Biden for $1bn over Epstein comments

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Melania Trump threatens to sue Hunter Biden for bn over Epstein comments

Melania Trump has threatened to sue Hunter Biden for more than $1bn (£736.5m) in damages if he does not retract comments linking her to Jeffrey Epstein.

Mr Biden, who is the son of former US president Joe Biden, alleged in an interview this month that sex trafficker Epstein introduced the first lady to President Donald Trump.

“Epstein introduced Melania to Trump. The connections are, like, so wide and deep,” he claimed.

Ms Trump’s lawyer labelled the comments false, defamatory and “extremely salacious” in a letter to Mr Biden.

Hunter Biden. File pic: AP
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Hunter Biden. File pic: AP

Her lawyer wrote that the first lady suffered “overwhelming financial and reputational harm” as the claims were widely discussed on social media and reported by media around the world.

The president and first lady previously said they were introduced by modelling agent Paolo Zampolli at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998.

Mr Biden attributed the claim that Epstein introduced the couple to author Michael Wolff, who was accused by Mr Trump of making up stories to sell books in June and was dubbed a “third-rate reporter” by the president.

The former president’s son doubled down on his remarks in a follow-up interview with the same YouTube outlet, Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan, entitled “Hunter Biden Apology”.

Asked if he would apologise to the first lady, Mr Biden responded: “F*** that – that’s not going to happen.”

He added: “I don’t think these threats of lawsuits add up to anything other than designed distraction.”

Ms Trump’s threat to sue Mr Biden echoes a strategy employed by her husband, who has aggressively used legal action to go after critics.

Public figures like the Trumps must meet a high bar to succeed in a defamation suit like the one that could be brought by the first lady if she follows through with her threat.

In his initial interview, Mr Biden also hit out at “elites” and others in the Democratic Party, who he claims undermined his father before he dropped out of last year’s race for president.

Read more from Sky News:
What to expect from Trump-Putin summit
National Guard on streets of Washington DC

The letter threatening legal action against Mr Biden is dated 6 August and was first reported by Fox News Digital.

It was addressed to Abbe Lowell, a lawyer who has represented Mr Biden in his criminal cases. Mr Lowell has not yet commented on the letter.

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Trump claims Epstein ‘stole’ Virginia Giuffre

Read more: What you need to know about Trump, Epstein and the MAGA controversy

This comes as pressure on the White House to release the Epstein files has been mounting for weeks, after he made a complete U-turn on his administration’s promise to release more information publicly.

The US Justice Department, which confirmed in July that it would not be releasing the files, said a review of the Epstein case had found “no incriminating ‘client list'” and “no credible evidence” the jailed financier – who killed himself in prison in 2019 – had blackmailed famous men.

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