Bruce Willis and family feel “sense of relief” after revealing aphasia diagnosis

Willis, with wife Emma Heming Willis — VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Bruce Willis and his family are “so honored” by the public response to his aphasia diagnosis, a source tells Us Weekly.

The Die Hard star, 67, and his family are “deeply touched at the sheer outpouring of love and support they’ve received ever since they shared the news,” adds the insider.

Bruce’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, and his ex-wife, Demi Moore, were among those informed about his health condition before it going public with the news a week ago.

The actor’s five children — daughters Rumer, 33, Scout, 30, and Tallulah Willis, 28, whom he shares with Moore, and daughters Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, seven, with his current wife, Heming Willis — “were also aware for some time,” notes the source, adding that the family’s March 30 social media statement “was about breaking the news to the wider community after it became clear that Bruce needed to step back from his career.”

Going public has provided “a sense of relief in many ways,” the insider tells people, adding Bruce feels like he’s “got that monkey off his back.”

Now, adds the source, he can can proceed with a practical and stress-free routine moving forward.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, aphasia can rob a person of their ability to speak, read, and understand language, both spoken and written. The condition, which varies in type and severity, can result from numerous conditions, illnesses or injuries, all of which affect the brain.

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