Content warning: This story includes descriptions of child sexual abuse that may be distressing to some readers.
Ashton Kutcher along with his wife Mila Kunis are notoriously private people – even though they are one of Hollywood's most recognisable celebrity couples.
They've been married for seven years and share two young children together. But other than those two facts, there is little known about their life away from the spotlight – and that's been a conscious decision from both of them.
As Kutcher recently said about fame and his kids: "We don't share any photos of our kids publicly because we feel that being public is a personal choice. Future privacy will be the new celebrity."
But recently, Kutcher opened up about his challenges with a rare autoimmune disorder, along with his difficult relationship with his twin brother. And it has lots of people talking.
Watch: Ashton Kutcher on his kids and trust funds. Post continues below.
Kutcher struggled a lot with his health in 2019, after being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition which at one point left him unable to see, hear or walk.
"Like two years ago, I had this weird, super rare form of vasculitis that, like, knocked out my vision, it knocked out my hearing, it knocked out, like, all my equilibrium," Kutcher said on Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge.
He said it took him "about a year" in order to get back to his healthy self.
Vasculitis is a rare auto-immune disorder which involves the inflammation of the blood vessels – resulting in restricted blood flow.
"You don't really appreciate it [your health] until it's gone," Kutcher shared. "Until you go, 'I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to see again, I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to hear again, I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to walk again.' I'm lucky to be alive."
Family has often been a big talking point for Kutcher during interviews – but there's been one such topic not as often discussed. And that's to do with his twin brother.
Michael had a heart transplant at 13 and lives with cerebral palsy. Ashton said seeing what his brother went through, and the treatment he received for having cerebral palsy was hard to watch "as a twin".
"It taught me that people aren't actually all created equal. We're all created incredibly unequal to one another, in our capabilities and what we can do and how we think and what we see. But we all have the equal capacity to love one another."
Michael currently works as a motivational speaker.
Over the years, the two have occasionally appeared on red carpets together. But Kutcher explained this week that the pair have experienced a divide in their relationship at times.
Reflecting on his health scare and life today, Kutcher said his wife was key to his recovery. He opened up about it more this week in a conversation with his physician for The Checkup with Dr. David Agus.
"I will say, your wife was amazing," Agus said of Kunis. "Just curled up there by your side. It was a beautiful thing to watch."
Ashton agreed, saying about his wife: "She's the best."
And after managing the autoimmune condition as best as he could, Kutcher said the whole experience has changed his mindset around perseverance and resilience.
"The minute you start seeing your obstacles as things that are made for you, to give you what you need, then life starts to get fun, right? You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them."
If this brings up any issues for you, contact Bravehearts, an organisation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse, on 1800 272 831.
This article was originally published on August 9, 2022 and was updated on December 7, 2022 with new information.
Feature Image: Getty.