Celebrity Couples
Bruce Willis’ Wife Reveals How They Stay Connected Amid His Dementia Diagnosis
Things have changed drastically for Bruce Willis, his wife, Emma Heming Willis, and their family ever since he received his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis in 2022 (they shared the diagnosis publicly in early 2023).
But one thing that hasn’t wavered is Bruce and Emma’s relationship. The couple married in 2009, and she has been by his side amid his health issues over the past three years. Despite the dementia impacting Bruce’s cognitive abilities, Emma said they’ve still found ways to connect emotionally.
“I feel like our love story has only grown and developed more,” the model told People in the magazine’s latest cover story. “It sounds woo-woo, but it’s just on a more cellular level. I am so grateful that he is very much here, very much a part of our day-to-day.”
Emma recently revealed in an interview with Diane Sawyer that Bruce lives separately from her and their two daughters so he can receive around-the-clock care. However, she said that she visits him to eat breakfast and dinner together every day.
“It has meant so much to be able to meet him where he’s at, to enjoy this time with him,” she added in the new interview. “Bruce is very present in his body, and there is something so lovely and wonderful about that. He’s not thinking about what happened yesterday or what’s happening in the future. He is very grounded in today.”
Of course, that’s not to say it hasn’t been difficult. In the interview with Sawyer, Emma emotionally admitted that her husband’s “brain is failing him” and said that his “language is going.” However, Emma noted that “sometimes, love does not need words. I can just sit there with Bruce, and we look at each other and we laugh and smile and that, to me, is more than anything.”
Bruce was previously married to Demi Moore, whom he shares three adult daughters with. The blended family is extremely close, with The Substance actress also spending lots of quality time with Bruce these days.
