Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming reveals why he no longer lives with family after dementia diagnosis
Bruce Willis' wife, Emma Heming, has candidly opened up about the reason as to why he no longer lives with the family following his dementia diagnosis.
In 2023, the family of the 70-year-old Die Hard actor revealed that he'd been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, which, according to the NHS, is a rare type of the condition that affects the front and sides of a person's brain, impacting their language abilities and behaviour.
The year prior, they released a statement that Willis had been diagnosed with aphasia, which is a condition that affects a person's communication skills and cognitive abilities.
Emma, who married Willis back in 2009 before welcoming their two daughters, Mabel Ray, 13 and Evelyn Penn, 11, has shared a number of details regarding how his diagnosis has impacted their home life in a new interview titled Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America on Tuesday (August 26).
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Namely, she explained that 'one of the hardest decisions I've had to make' was moving her beloved husband into a second, one-story home where he could receive around-the-clock care.
Emma assured that, despite no longer living together, she spends breakfast and dinner with Willis every day.
"I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters," she told Sawyer. "He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs."
The decision was made 'some time ago' and it came after Emma decided to start isolating their family unit and stop hosting social gatherings at their home for their two daughters because noise could cause Willis' agitation.
"I didn’t know if parents would feel comfortable leaving their kid at our home," she continued. "I isolated our whole family, and that was by design... That was a hard time."
Emma went on to add that relocating her husband meant that their blended family - he also shares three children with his ex-wife, Demi Moore - and friends can visit him more often.
"We’re there a lot," she said. "It’s our second home, so the girls have their things there."
She added: "It is, you know, a house that is filled with love and warmth and care and laughter. It's been beautiful to see that, to see how many of Bruce’s friends continue to show up for him, you know, they bring in life and fun."
Emma assured that Willis is 'still very mobile', adding: "Bruce is in really great health, overall, it’s just his brain that is failing him.
"The language is going, and, you know, we’ve learned to adapt, we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a different, a different way."
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Mental Health, Parenting, Sex and Relationships, Bruce Willis
Rhiannon Ingle