Bruce Willis’ stunt double reveals how the actor tragically ‘changed’ in the months leading up to the heartbreaking diagnosis of aphasia

Longtime stunt double to BRUCE Willis revealed how the actor tragically “changed” in the months leading up to his heartbreaking diagnosis of aphasia.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Stuart F. Wilson, Bruce’s 17-year-old stunt double, said the legendary Die Hard actor has changed markedly over the past year when his family announced on Wednesday that he had been diagnosed with aphasia.

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“We’d seen some changes, but often with bigger celebrities that are really, really popular, like Bruce, they have a million different things going on,” as Stuart explained that it wasn’t immediately clear something was wrong.

“Sometimes when you talk to him he just seemed distracted and we thought it didn’t mean anything but you would be wondering if there are other things going on.”

Eventually, Stuart said, it became apparent that Bruce, 67, was dealing with more than just forgetfulness.

“Being with someone that much, yes, you see the changes.

“Obviously we knew that at a certain point other things were going on. We knew because he was being tested for different things, but at the time we didn’t know exactly what it was.”

The amazing stuntman said he knew an announcement was imminent, but didn’t know when or the exact nature of the announcement.

Stuart and Bruce last worked together in the second week of December last year.

At this point, Bruce’s stunt double said, “Most of the team felt like he was going to take a break. He did some medical tests and stuff like that. So we thought, okay, maybe he’ll take a break.

Although realistically we were as prepared as we could be to lose your job.”

Stuart said that so much of a stuntman’s work is generally out of one’s control, regardless.

“I’ve always told people that the reality of being a stuntman, especially a stunt double, is that if Bruce gets hurt, production stops, if I get hurt, they get another bald guy,” he joked cheerfully.

Aside from apparent changes in Bruce’s ability to remember things, Stuart said he noticed slight changes in his appearance when he saw him two weeks ago.

“He’s just a little slimmer now, but he was never a big eater anyway. You know, when we go out to dinner, he orders you quite a lot of stuff and he just hacks away.

“So he’s a bit slimmer. When I saw him a few weeks ago he was just a bit slimmer than normal but not emaciated and he was always in pretty good shape,” added Bruce’s look-alike.

While there have been reports that Bruce has been relying heavily on things like earbuds to keep him wired lately, Stuart said that for someone as busy as the Armageddon actor, it’s pretty common to have aids for to use the feeding of lines.

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“He played Misery on Broadway, a guy named Adam, who’s an actor and also does what they call a catchy tune.”

“Occasionally he would use a catchy tune just to help out, especially when it was very conversational and we just flew in.

“He has all these things to do. And he just got off another movie. So we often use catchy stuff just to make production easier.”

AWAY FROM ACTION

Bruce’s family announced on Wednesday that he is retiring from acting after aphasia is diagnosed.

His family explained that he suffers from “cognitive” problems.

This was announced by Bruce’s daughter Rumer, 33, in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

Alongside a souvenir photo of Bruce, 67, Rumer wrote: “To the amazing supporters of Bruce, we wanted to share as a family that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing a number of health conditions and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia which is affecting his cognitive abilities.

“As a result, and with much deliberation, Bruce is stepping down from the career that has meant so much to him.”

She continued: “This is a truly challenging time for our family and we are so grateful for your continued love, compassion and support.

“We’re going through this as a strong family unit and wanted to include his fans because we know how much he means to you, just as you mean to him.

“Like Bruce always says, ‘Live it up,’ and together we plan to do just that.”

The message was signed by Bruce’s family members, including his daughters Rumer, Scout, 30, Tallulah, 28, Mabel, 7, and Evelyn, 9, his wife Emma Heming Willis and ex-wife Demi Moore.

Aphasia is a medical condition that results in an inability to understand and communicate clearly with words. Aphasia typically occurs after a stroke or head injury.

ICONIC CAREER

Bruce is best known for his long career in Hollywood, spanning several decades.

He has starred in numerous action films including Die Hard and its sequels, Armageddon and more.

His other memorable film roles include Pulp Fiction, The Fifth Element, The Sixth Sense and Sin City.

Bruce has won a number of impressive awards throughout his career, including a Golden Globe and two Emmys.

PERSONAL LIFE

Bruce was married to 59-year-old actress Demi from 1987 to 2000.

Despite the end of their marriage, the ex-boyfriends have remained friends and involved in each other’s lives.

In 2009 he married 43-year-old Emma.

A BIG FAMILY

Back in April 2020, Bruce announced that he was staying with Demi and her daughters in Idaho while Emma and her daughters were in Los Angeles.

Scout previously revealed how Bruce and Demi temporarily quarantined together during a podcast.

She shared: “It was so funny because to me they’re just like my weird freaking parents, but to everyone else they’re on this other level.

“It was actually really cool. My stepmom was supposed to come up here with my little sisters but my younger sister who is now 6 years old had never spoken in a park about not f***ing with hypodermic needles she found. So she actually tried to prick her shoe with it and pricked her foot.”

“So my stepmom had to be in LA waiting for the results after she was taken to the doctor so my dad came here and then the traveling got crazy so my stepmom stayed with my little sisters in LA.”

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