Emma Heming Willis has revealed that her husband, Bruce Willis, is unaware that he has dementia.
Speaking with Cameron Oaks Rogers in her January 27 episode of “Conversations with Cam” podcast, Emma, 47, gave a moving update on her husband’s battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
She explained that the “Die Hard” icon, 70, has “never connected the dots” regarding his diagnosis. Emma added that Bruce’s lack of awareness about his condition is, somehow, a blessing in disguise.
“Bruce never, never tapped in,” Emma revealed. “I think that’s like the blessing and the curse of this, is that he never connected the dots that he had this disease, and I’m really happy about that. I’m really happy that he doesn’t know about it.”
Emma Willis Shares Insights Into Bruce Willis’ Condition
In the same interview, Emma explained that Bruce has anosognosia, a condition where “your brain can’t recognize one or more other health conditions you have,” per the Cleveland Clinic.
Emma added, “It’s where your brain can’t identify what is happening to it,” so Bruce, and others with anosognosia, “think this is their normal.”
“People think this might be denial, like they don’t want to go to the doctor because they’re like, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine,’ actually, this is the anosognosia that comes into play,” she explained further. ” It’s not denial. It’s just that their brain is changing. This is a part of the disease.”
Progressing Together
Despite his condition, Emma shared that Bruce is “still very much present in his body.” She also revealed that as the actor’s dementia has progressed, “we have progressed along with him. We’ve adapted along with him.”
One of the things Emma and their children learned to adapt is the way Bruce communicates with them.
“He has a way of connecting with me, our children that might not be the same as you would connect with your loved one, but it’s still very beautiful,” she added. “It’s still very meaningful. It’s just — it’s just different. You just learn how to adapt.”
In 2023, Bruce’s family shared that he’d been diagnosed with FTP.
“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD),” she wrote in part. “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”
