The Bill star Chris Ellison, who played DCI Frank Burnside, has appeared on Good Morning Britain with his wife Anita after going public with his brain disorder.
The actor, 75, has lost the ability to speak since he suffered a stroke 18 months ago and has been diagnosed with aphasia – the same degenerative condition which movie legend Bruce Willis was revealed to suffer from last week.
Chris and Anita appeared on GMB on Tuesday to talk about the little-known condition, with the actor’s devoted wife admitting she has been ‘in mourning’ since the diagnosis.
Devastating: The Bill star Chris Ellison, who played DCI Frank Burnside, has appeared on Good Morning Britain with his wife Anita after going public with his devastating brain condition
Aphasia is a potentially devastating condition which affects one’s ability to understand language, with Anita revealing she has now become her husband’s full time carer.
When asked how the couple have coped, Anita explained: ‘Mainly it’s been so lonely because Chris wouldn’t go out.’
‘He felt really embarrassed. He just grabbed my arm because he knew he couldn’t speak. He didn’t want people to see him like that. We’ve kind of been like hermits really. He’s the same intelligent man inside. It’s like coming out.’
She later added: ‘I’ve been in a kind of mourning really. It’s taken a long time to come to terms with it, I have cried so much. I now feel a great sense of relief.’
Legend: Chris played the volatile Burnside for 15 years on The Bill (above) and proved so popular that he got a spin-off in 2000
Speaking about their decision to go public with Chris’ diagnosis, Anita said she hoped they will raise awareness of the little-known condition.
‘I have seen a great change in Chris. At first, he didn’t want to go on TV or anyone to know. People still remember Chris when we go out. Now, hopefully people will understand,’ she said.
‘I wanted people to understand what aphasia is. When you can get it out there and educate people… it’s a new word, aphasia. Just be patient. I will always be there to answer for him. I just say “Chris can understand you, he just can’t answer back.”’
GMB’s Dr. Hilary Jones said he was ‘so glad’ the couple have gone public, while Kate Garraway revealed that her husband Derek Draper ‘has a version of the condition’ after being struck down by Covid in 2020.
Going public: The actor, 75, has lost the ability to speak since he suffered a stroke 18 months ago and has been diagnosed with aphasia – the same degenerative brain disorder which Bruce Willis was revealed to suffer from last week
Anita said there had been glimmers of hope over the past 18 months, explaining: ‘Chris was having singing lessons before his stroke. He’s got a great voice.’
‘The singing lessons will carry on. We have had a couple, and this voice came out, it was really weird. He just needs a little bit of a kick.’
Chris and Anita went public with his diagnosis in an interview with The Sun on Sunday, days after it was announced that Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with aphasia.
Anita said that Chris had ‘not uttered any sense in 18 months’.
Chris played the volatile Burnside for 15 years on The Bill and proved so popular that he got a spin-off in 2000.
Titled Burnside, it saw him work for the National Crime Squad. It only ran for one season, and aired six episodes.
Movie legend: Willis will now retire from acting after being diagnosed with the disorder that has hampered his ‘cognitive abilities,’ (pictured with daughter Scout)
He later appeared in EastEnders, an audio play for Doctor Who, as a contestant on Pointless Celebrities and found himself on Celebrity Big Brother in 2015 alongside Janice Dickinson, Jenna Jameson and Daniel Baldwin.
Chris suffered the stroke at his home in Brighton and was found by Anita on the bedroom floor.
His aphasia was known only to a few friends and family but he was inspired to share it with the wider world following the 67-year-old Die Hard actor’s diagnosis.
Willis, who starred in dozens of action movies, will now retire from acting after being diagnosed with the disorder that has hampered his ‘cognitive abilities,’ his family said on Wednesday.
He rose to fame in the 1980s’ comedy-drama TV series Moonlighting and has appeared in about 100 films across his four-decade career, garnering acclaim for his roles in Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense, and winning a Golden Globe Award and two Emmys.
By his side: Speaking about their decision to go public with Chris’ diagnosis, Anita said she hoped they will raise awareness of the little-known condition
But Willis is perhaps best known for playing the tough-as-nails New York cop who pursued bad guys in the five Die Hard movies, released from 1988 to 2013.
‘This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,’ his family said in a statement.
Willis and actress Demi Moore were one of Hollywood’s most high-profile celebrity couples in the 1990s until their divorce in 2000, but they remained close after the break-up.
He is currently married to model and actress Emma Heming and is father to a total of five children with both women.
Fans: Anita said she has ‘seen a great change in Chris. At first, he didn’t want to go on TV or anyone to know. People still remember Chris when we go out. Now, hopefully people will understand’ (The couple are pictured in 2018)
‘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,’ said the statement, which was signed by the actor’s family and shared on Instagram by Demi Moore and their daughter Rumer.
Aphasia is a disorder most commonly caused by a stroke that can also stem from head trauma or, in rare cases, from neurological disease, said Brenda Rapp, a professor of cognitive science at Johns Hopkins University.
Symptoms vary widely and can affect speech, comprehension and reading ability, Rapp said in a telephone interview. In some instances, aphasia can be treated with speech therapy.
