Who is Wendy Williams, the presenter who was diagnosed with the same disease as Bruce Willis

In the last few hours it has become known that TV presenter Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, the same diseases that Bruce Willis suffers from.

People magazine released the press release sent by representatives of the 59-year-old woman, which states that the diagnosis was made last year and that the disease already presents “significant obstacles” in her life.

“Wendy can still do a lot for herself. Most importantly, she maintains her signature sense of humor and gets the attention she needs to make sure she is protected and her needs are met. Appreciates the many thoughts kind and best wishes they send you,” reads the press release.

Who is Wendy Williams?

Wendy Williams was born in New Jersey, United States, and became known for hosting her own television program The Wendy Williams Show.

Her program is a female-focused morning talk show broadcast on the CW and FOX. There are interviews and coverage of all kinds of topics with speakers and professionals.

The Wendy Williams Show was canceled in June 2022 after 14 years on the air.

She is also heavily involved in production work, in film and TV. She appeared in the film adaptation of Steve Harvey’s book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, entitled Think Like a Man (2012), and its sequel, Think Like a Man Too (2014).

What is aphasia?

“Aphasia is a disorder caused by damage to the parts of the brain that control language. It can make it difficult to read, write and [la capacidad de] express what you want to say,” explains an entry on the US National Library of Medicine’s Medline Plus site.

“It is an alteration of our linguistic capacity, not only of the ability to pronounce a word, but of the ability to understand it, even to have an internal language, because we think with words”, adds neurologist Alejandro Andersson, director, in dialogue with Clarín of the Institute of Neurology of Buenos Aires.

And he adds: “In the left hemisphere there are the instrumental areas of language that deal with comprehension and expression, it is important to understand that the left hemisphere in 95% of right-handed people and in 70% of left-handed people is responsible for language, and if these areas are damaged they generate aphasia.

It usually occurs in adults who have suffered a stroke, as well as in patients with tumors, infections, or brain injuries. Even in case of dementia. It can appear suddenly or progressively, depending on the original condition.

“It is a lesion of the instrumental areas of language,” explains Andersson, “and this occurs due to a vascular problem such as a stroke, trauma or degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or others.”

The severity of aphasia will depend on the part of the brain that has suffered damage, as well as the extent of the damage.