Emma Heming Willis is opening up about her husband Bruce Willis’ ongoing battle with frontotemporal dementia, providing a heartfelt update on his condition and the family’s journey.
“Bruce is still very mobile,” Emma shared with Diane Sawyer in ABC’s August 26 special Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey. “Bruce is in really great health overall. It’s just his brain that is failing him.”
She explained the changes they’ve had to navigate as a family: “The language is going. We’ve learned to adapt, and we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a different way.”
Emma, 47, who shares daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, with the Die Hard actor, emphasized the moments of connection that still bring joy. “When we are with him, he lights up,” she said. “He’s holding our hands, we’re kissing him. We’re hugging him. He is reciprocating. He is into it.”
“That’s all I need,” she added. “I don’t need him to know that I am his wife, we were married on this day. I don’t need any of that. I just want to feel that I have a connection with him, and I do.”
Despite the challenges, Emma shared tender glimpses of the “old Bruce.” Recalling a recent moment with Mabel, she said, “There was one day, Mabel and I, we were helping Bruce into another shirt. Mabel looked at her daddy’s tummy and was like, ‘Ooh, daddy’s getting fat. Daddy’s got a big tummy.’ Bruce looked at her and said, ‘You think I’m fat?’”
“Mabel and I looked at each other like ‘Oh my gosh’ because we really have not heard him be able to put words together in so long,” she continued. “It’s his laugh. He has such a hearty laugh, and sometimes you will see that twinkle in his eye or that smirk. I just get transported.”
Although Emma treasures these moments, she admits it’s painful to watch Bruce’s health decline. “It’s just hard to see that because as quickly as those moments appear, then they go,” she said. “It’s hard. But I’m grateful that my husband is still very much here.”
As Bruce’s primary caregiver, Emma has also become an advocate for others navigating similar challenges. She reflected on her approach to the journey: “It’s really hard for me today to go back in time to remember even the fun because I am so caught up in today, or what today looks like and walking this journey with him today, that I can’t remember.”
“I just have a really hard time remembering who he was,” she admitted. “Sometimes, it’s just easier for me to stay in the what is. It’s hard to look back.”
