(NewsWorthy.news) – 59-year-old Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with progressive dementia, according to her team.
On Thursday February 22, a press release announcing the media personality’s latest health challenges was released. Williams’ team explained that, after a few years of speculation and concerns about her apparent difficulty processing information and verbalizing thoughts, she was “officially diagnosed” in 2023 with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
The statement noted that Williams was diagnosed by and is receiving treatment from specialists working at Weill Cornell Medicine, which is part of Cornell University in New York City. Her team emphasized that the update was shared “after careful consideration” and is motivated by a desire to “advocate” for Williams and “raise awareness” about her condition, which is shared by “thousands of others.”
Frontotemporal dementia is a progressive disease that causes degeneration of the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes, resulting in decreased cognitive and behavioral abilities. Aphasia presents difficulty speaking and understanding words due to brain damage.
Williams’ team explained that she is “still able” to function on her own for “many things” and has kept “her trademark sense of humor.” The release also mentioned that the media personality has previously struggled with other health challenges including Graves’ disease, an autoimmune thyroid disorder, and lymphedema, a disease affecting the lymphatic system.
During the last few years, Williams has been somewhat removed from the public eye as she managed her various health problems. Between 2008 and 2021, she became known for the American talk show program she hosted, “The Wendy Williams Show.”
A documentary called “Where Is Wendy Williams?” is set to be released on February 24. The production, made by Lifetime, is reportedly very open about her previous medical issues.
Williams is not the first public figure to share her dementia diagnosis. In 2022, the family of famed actor Bruce Willis revealed that he had been diagnosed with aphasia, with a 2023 update that his condition had progressed to include frontotemporal dementia.
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