Bruce Willis’ wife has opened up about the first dementia diagnosis that left her stunned.

Emma Heming Willis, 47, appeared on Katie Couric’s Next Question, where she shared more insight into Bruce’s condition.

She revealed his first symptom was his speech. She said that it was the first thing that indicated that something was wrong.

Emma said, “So, for him, I start noticing, just, his stutter. He had a severe stutter as a child, and it started to come back. You know, never in my wildest dreams did I think this was a symptom of young-onset dementia,” reports The Mirror US. 

She continued: “A doctor at UCFF, his name is Bruce Millier, he’s an incredible neurologist, he said that some of the things to look out for, if you’re in your 40s, 50s, 60s, when you should be very grounded in your life, you’re holding a job, you’re raising your family. If you start seeing someone change their personality, or start changing so drastically, that is a change in the brain, and that needs to be addressed.”

Emma went on to discuss Bruce’s diagnosis and his experience.

She said, “For Bruce and his experience, his stutter came back, words weren’t coming as naturally to him, which is just so wild because he is all about words. It was very confusing. I felt like we were so aligned, and there was something just off. It’s so gray and ambiguous to say, ‘Well, what was the thing?’ It just wasn’t the person I married. “

Bruce’s wife went on to say, “Bruce was very different, and I just couldn’t put my finger on it. There just comes a point where you have to take the bull by the horns and be like, ‘Enough is enough.’ You know in your gut, you know your person better than anyone, and you have to know that it is ok to advocate. You need to raise your hand, you need to get to the doctor, and you need to have your doctor listen.”

She also clarified that Bruce has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, known as PPA, as well as frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

She stated, “FTD can affect people in three different ways: language, movement, or behaviour. These are like the subtypes of FTD. Bruce has primary progressive aphasia, which is known as PPA, [so] FTD [and] PPA.”