Wendy Williams breaks her silence after being diagnosed with dementia and aphasia as she thanks her fans: ‘Your response was overwhelming’
Wendy Williams spoke out about her recent health diagnoses for the first time in a statement on Friday.
The 59-year-old former host of The Wendy Williams Show addressed her fans a day after her team revealed she had been diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
“I want to say that I am extremely grateful for the love and kind words I have received after sharing my diagnosis of aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Let me say, wow! Your response was overwhelming,” she shared in a statement to The Associated Press.
“The messages shared with me have touched me and remind me of the power of unity and the need for compassion.”
‘I would also like to thank the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration for their kind words of support and their extraordinary efforts to raise awareness about FTD,’ she added.
Wendy Williams, 59, spoke for the first time about her recent diagnoses of aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in a statement released Friday; seen in 2023
Wendy concluded her statement by saying, “I still need personal space and peace to thrive. Please know that your positivity and encouragement are greatly appreciated.”
It was confirmed on Thursday that Williams has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia.
The star’s care team announced her new diagnosis in a press release.
They said Williams underwent “a battery of medical tests” before arriving at the diagnosis, which came just days before the release of her Lifetime documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? comes, detailing her struggles with alcohol abuse and mental health in recent years.
The diagnoses are largely the same as those that film legend Bruce Willis received in 2022 and 2023.
The statement noted that Williams was diagnosed as early as 2023. The talk show host has reportedly been living in a treatment center since April 2023.
“I want to say that I am extremely grateful for the love and kind words I have received after sharing my diagnosis of aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD),” she shared in a statement; seen in 2007