Irish Examiner view: Final flourish for action man Bruce

Bruce Willis has announced that he will step back from his acting career after recently being diagnosed with aphasia, which has affected his cognitive abilities.

The early retirement of actor Bruce Willis following a battle with the progressive condition of aphasia will bring much wider recognition of a chronic complaint that is estimated to affect as many as 50,000 people in Ireland.

Aphasia is an acquired language disorder that affects approximately a third of all stroke survivors and impedes the ability to communicate, causing difficulty with reading, writing, spelling, comprehension, and expression or ability to speak. People with aphasia post-stroke are at a much higher risk of developing depression than survivors without the condition. Generally, one in three stroke victims can suffer from aphasia, meaning some 3,000 cases a year in the Republic.