Sylvester Stallone shares sad update on Bruce Willis’ condition after aphasia diagnosis

Sylvester Stallone has given an update on his friend and former co-star Bruce Willis’ condition after his recent diagnosis with aphasia.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stallone said, “Bruce is going through some really, really difficult times.”

Asked if he is still in touch with Willis, he responded that the actor has “been sort of incommunicado. That kills me. It’s so sad.”

In March, it was revealed that Willis was “stepping away” from acting after his diagnosis with aphasia, a condition that causes language difficulties.

At the time, Stallone, 76, shared a series of snaps of his friend on Instagram, writing, “We go back a long way, praying for the best for you and your wonderful family.”

Both actors were involved with Planet Hollywood in 1991, a chain restaurant launched and endorsed by Willis’ former wife Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Stallone and Willis joined forces once again in 2010 to star together in action film The Expendables.

They went on to film the sequel, The Expendables 2, in 2012, but things became rocky when Willis did not return for the third film.

Instead, Harrison Ford joined the cast, and Stallone celebrated on Twitter, writing in August 12, “Willis out … Harrison Ford in! Great news! Been waiting years for this!”

He clarified, “It’s nothing personal. It’s not like it got personal, and I’m sorry it did sound that way. But it was just actors talking, and things move on. And I think Bruce Willis is a great guy, and he does fantastically entertaining films. And when he nails it, he nails it big time.”

Willis shocked fans in March as his family, including his five daughters, current wife and ex-wife, released a joint statement on Instagram announcing his retirement from acting following his aphasia diagnosis which is “impacting his cognitive abilities”.

His family wrote that it was a “really challenging time”.

What is aphasia?

According to Mayo Clinic, aphasia can begin with trouble communicating. Someone with aphasia might have trouble finding the correct words, substitute the wrong words for each other or speak in short sentences that are difficult or impossible to understand.

These issues are related to brain damage in the left side of the brain, which controls language, Johns Hopkins University says.

While its presentations can vary, aphasia is usually a symptom of a broader medical issue. It may result from a stroke, head injury or tumour, or develop due to a degenerative brain condition.

While potential drug therapies are being tested, current treatment options are limited. Patients may undergo language and speech rehabilitation, which are focused on restoring as much language as possible and finding other ways to communicate in order to replace language that is lost for good.

"Recovery of language skills is usually a relatively slow process," Mayo Clinic says.

"Although most people make significant progress, few people regain full pre-injury communication levels."

This article was first published by NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.