Emma Heming Willis has provided an update on her husband Bruce Willis's ongoing battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), describing the family's experience as a "constant state of grief."
In a recent interview with Hello! magazine, Emma, 50, shared the profound difficulty and pain associated with caring for Willis, 71, as the illness progresses. "It is extremely difficult and painful," she stated. "It’s natural — we all want our loved ones to be healthy, full of life and [be] the person they always were. But FTD is a devastating illness that steals things from you very slowly."
Willis was diagnosed with FTD in February 2023, approximately one year after his family announced he was stepping away from acting due to an aphasia diagnosis. Emma highlighted what she described as an "immense lack of information" surrounding dementia, noting that frequent questions about whether Willis still remembers her are "really eye-opening."
"My answer is always a resounding yes. Bruce doesn’t have Alzheimer’s. He has frontotemporal dementia, which affects a completely different part of the brain," she clarified. She expressed a desire to see a shift in how dementia is portrayed in the media, urging for more accurate reporting and public education to combat fear and stigma.
Emma also spoke to the support Willis receives from his children. He has two daughters with Emma: Mabel, 14, and Evelyn, 12. He also has three daughters with his ex-wife Demi Moore: Rumer, 38, Scout, 35, and Tallulah, 32.
"Each of them has built her own unique bond with him," Emma said. "It’s incredible because all five are completely different, but they share the same foundation: Bruce was always an incredibly solid, steadfast presence in their lives."
A recent demonstration of this bond was evident at Tallulah's wedding in August, where Bruce Willis was photographed celebrating with his daughter. In an image shared by Vogue, he was seen with his arm around Tallulah, holding her new husband's hand.
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