Bruce Willis’ daughter Rumer shares never-before-seen photo with dad & pens sweet note after actor’s aphasia diagnosis
BRUCE Willis' daughter Rumer has shared a secret snap showing her fun-filled childhood with her dad amid his brain disorder battle.
The Sun recently told how the Armageddon actor had suffered brain issues for 25 years before his family revealed his grave aphasia diagnosis.
The beloved 67-year-old’s relatives announced on Wednesday that he is retiring from acting because of the aggressive, cognitive disease.
Yet amid the shock and sadness, his children have found time to raise a smile for his fans.
Actress Rumer, 33, Bruce's eldest child with ex Demi Moore, took to her Instagram to share a snap of her and one of her siblings playing with their Hollywood star dad as kids.
Rumer, who must only be a toddler in the snap, can be seen pulling a face as she draws her mouth apart and sicks out her tongue.
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She gives a cheeky look to the camera while dad Bruce, who has a head full of brunette locks, offers a smile to the lens.
Alongside the adorable throwback image Rumer wrote: "I love you Daddio, to the moon and Back.
"Thank you for teaching me to be so silly. I love laughing with you."
Fans were quick to reply, with one commenting: "My thoughts and prayers are with your wonderful Dad."
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Another then wrote: "Laughter is such a powerful force! I wish so much of it for you all."
A third concluded: "Sweet adorable Bruce!!! Love love and more love!!!!"
Rumer's tribute came after her little sister Scout took to her Instagram account to honor her father with a rare picture.
HEALTH BATTLE
Bruce’s family put out a joint statement on their individual Instagram accounts on Wednesday alongside a picture of the star.
It said that Bruce had recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which means he has to step away from “the career that has meant so much to him.”
The announcement added: “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him.
"As Bruce always says, 'Live it up' and together we plan to do just that.”
Aphasia is a language disorder that affects a patient’s ability to express and understand written and spoken language.
It can happen suddenly after a stroke or head injury or develop slowly from a brain tumor or disease.
Bruce’s ex Demi, 59, has been supportive of him and his current wife Emma, 43, while they adapt to living with the condition, The Sun understands.
CAREER END
A source exclusively told The Sun of the impact of Bruce's health on his career, and said: "People who have been close to the family over these last twenty years or so knew this day was coming and see now that the inevitable has finally happened, Bruce is stepping away from acting and publicly acknowledging what's going on with him.
“But for Demi and the kids, this has been an almost eighteen-year journey from first noticing that something was wrong to Bruce
finally accepting that he has to transition into retirement.
“Bruce's grown daughters have known about this situation since 2005 or 2006 and they have been utterly sympathetic every step of the way.
“Bruce has worked with his slowly worsening condition for years, but it stopped being something anybody wanted to hide anymore."
The insider added: “Bruce has the full support of Demi Moore, their daughters, and his wife Emma as he makes this next step, and nobody in the family has been caught off guard by it.
“If anything, they're all happy Bruce was able to work and make a living as long as he could, and nobody's ruling out that he could come back for special appearances or events if he's up to it.
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“But they're officially in a new phase now where keeping Bruce as comfortable and out of pain as possible is the new priority, instead of keeping his acting jobs going.
“They’ve had years to brace themselves for his retirement, and everybody says they are so proud of Bruce that he was able to work this long after first becoming ill and addressing his symptoms."
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