Bruce Willis‘s devastating dementia diagnosis was announced to the world in February 2023 via a family statement.
The previous spring, they had revealed that the actor was suffering from aphasia, a brain disorder that affects how you speak. But now, they wrote, Willis’s condition had ‘progressed’ to a ‘clear diagnosis’ of frontotemporal dementia.
‘There are no treatments for the disease,’ they added.
In the 18 months since, much of the 70-year-old’s decline has been shrouded in secrecy.
That was until last week, when the Die Hard star’s second wife, Emma Willis, gave a rare interview to Diane Sawyer, revealing that she has moved her husband into a separate one-story home away from their primary residence, where he lives with a round-the-clock care team.
‘He is going downhill fast,’ a family insider now tells the Daily Mail, adding that Willis ‘doesn’t know some faces’ anymore.
The Die Hard star’s second wife, Emma Willis, gave an interview to Diane Sawyer, revealing that she has moved her husband into a separate one-story home
‘He is going downhill fast,’ a family insider now tells the Daily Mail, adding that Willis ‘doesn’t know some faces’ anymore
His five daughters ‘are all spending as much time with him as they can’, the insider continued. ‘He lights up when he sees his children.’
As for the decision by Emma, 47, to move Willis, the insider said: ‘There is no drama. The whole family like and support the way she is looking after Bruce. They feel he is very well taken care of. They’re all dedicated to making his quality of life as good as possible.’
It is also understood that looking after him is now a ‘massive undertaking’.
‘It is dire because Bruce won’t be the same again,’ a second insider told the Daily Mail.
‘Occasionally there are flashes of who he used to be, whether it is a smile or a laugh or other gestures, and everyone appreciates having those moments.
‘Now when anyone is with him, they all enjoy their time together and don’t make it into a sad thing. They’ll dance, watch TV, have dinner together. Everyone is making the best of it considering the circumstances.’
‘It is dire because Bruce won’t be the same again,’ a second insider told the Daily Mail
The health update comes as the actor’s first wife, Demi Moore, told Oprah Winfrey of a heartbreaking ‘shift’ in her ex-husband’s personality.
The 62-year-old actress, who was married to Willis from 1987 to 2000 and shares three children with him, told Winfrey that it was ‘difficult… to see somebody who was so vibrant and strong and so directed shift into this other parts of themself.’
‘But… I really always say it’s so important just to meet them where they’re at,’ she added. ‘Don’t have an expectation of them needing to be who they were or who you want them to be. And when you do that I find that there is an incredible sweetness and something that’s soft and tender and loving. Perhaps it is more playful and childlike in certain sense because of how much more caretaking they need.’
Emma, who married Willis in 2009 and gave him his other two daughters, told Diane Sawyer last week that her children – Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11 – visit their father ‘a lot,’ often for both breakfast and dinner.
‘We have a way of communicating with him that is just a different, a different way, but I’m grateful. I’m grateful that my husband is still very much here,’ she added.
Willis is pictured with family in a post shared by ex-wife Demi Moore for his 70th birthday in March
‘Occasionally there are flashes of who he used to be, whether it is a smile or a laugh or other gestures, and everyone appreciates having those moments,’ an insider said
Emma faced some criticism on social media following her disclosure to Sawyer that she had moved Willis from the family home.
On Friday, Emma responded on her Instagram writing: ‘Too often, caregivers are judged quickly and unfairly by those who haven’t lived this journey or stood on the front lines of it.
‘Sharing openly may invite opinions, but more importantly, it creates connection and validation for those actually navigating the realities of caregiving every day.’
Representatives for the Willis family did not respond to requests for comment.
