Emma Heming Willis is opening her heart to the world, offering an emotional and intimate glimpse into her husband Bruce Willis’ ongoing battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
GettyIn a powerful sit-down with Diane Sawyer for a special ABC News segment, Heming Willis shared the earliest signs that something was changing in the beloved “Die Hard” star, long before his diagnosis made headlines.
Early Signs of Bruce Willis’ Dementia Left Emma Questioning Their Marriage
“He would always love taking the girls to school, and then those school runs just started to not happen as much,” Heming recalled. “I just thought, ‘God, that is so weird because for someone who was very talkative and very engaged, he was just a little more quiet, and when the family would get together, he would kind of just melt a little bit.’”
At first, she admitted she questioned their relationship. “I didn’t understand what was happening. It doesn’t feel like a marriage anymore,” she said.
At 70, Willis, celebrated for his iconic performances in “Pulp Fiction,” “Moonlighting,” “The Sixth Sense,” and “The Fifth Element,” stepped away from Hollywood in 2023 after his family revealed his diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
According to the Mayo Clinic, FTD is a group of brain disorders that damage the frontal and temporal lobes, leading to changes in personality, behavior, and language.
Diagnosis Journey Began With Aphasia Before Confirming Dementia
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Before receiving the FTD diagnosis, Willis was initially diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects the ability to communicate.
“As time went on, it was clear his symptoms were progressing,” Heming said. “That’s when we got the final diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia.”
The couple, who married in 2009 after meeting in 2005, share two daughters, ages 11 and 13. Willis also shares three adult daughters with his ex-wife, Demi Moore.
Heming said she decided to tell their daughters early. “I never wanted them to think that he wasn’t paying attention to them,” she said.
Bruce Willis Still Recognizes His Family, Says Heming
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty ImagesThough Willis’ cognitive function has declined, Heming believes he still recognizes his loved ones.
“I know he does. When we are with him, he lights up,” she said. “He’s holding our hands, we’re kissing him, we’re hugging him, [and] he is reciprocating, you know, he is into it. And so that’s all I need.”
She shared that the actor remains physically healthy and mobile, but is unaware of his condition. “Bruce is in really great health overall, you know, it’s just his brain that is failing him,” she said.
Actor Now Lives in a Second Home With Full-Time Care
Heming made the painful decision to move Willis into a nearby second home where he could receive 24-hour care tailored to his needs.
“It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make so far,” she admitted. “But I knew first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters, you know, he wouldn’t want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”
Still, the family remains close. “We’re at the second home all the time, spending time with him. It’s a house that is filled with love and warmth and care and laughter,” she said.
Heming is continuing to share her journey as a caregiver in her upcoming book, “The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path,” which releases on September 7.
She has also become a vocal advocate for caregivers worldwide. “It doesn’t matter where we came from, who we’re married to, that level of sadness and grief and anger and the resentment and all of this, it is one common thread that we all share,” she said. “And I think that there is something so beautiful in that.”
You can watch the ABC special now streaming on Hulu.
