Bruce Willis‘ wife Emma Heming revealed that their marriage ‘shifted’ from the tension brought about by his dementia.
He withdrew from Hollywood in 2022 after developing the brain condition aphasia, which causes the patient’s language abilities to deteriorate.
In 2023, his family announced that his illness had ‘progressed’ and he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Now Emma – who moved Bruce into a separate home to be cared for by a full-time team – is publishing a book about looking after him called The Unexpected Journey.
‘FTD doesn’t scream, it whispers. It’s very gray to know where Bruce stopped and where his disease kicked in,’ she told People in an interview promoting the memoir.
Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming revealed that their marriage ‘shifted’ from the tension brought about by his dementia; the couple are pictured in 2018
‘I started noticing his stutter started to come back [and] conversations weren’t really aligning anymore. It was hard to put my finger on why and what was happening.’
Disorder crept into their home life and the couple – who share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11 – experienced marital stress they had not suffered before.
‘I think for most [people], by the time you get to a diagnosis, you are already in that role,’ said Emma, explaining that an official confirmation of Bruce’s illness meant there ‘was relief in understanding: “Oh, okay, this wasn’t my husband, it was that this disease was taking parts of his brain.” I just softened.’
During the initial stages of his sickness, she felt ‘very isolated’ and ‘too scared to say anything to anyone’ as she juggled the combined tasks of caring for Bruce, mothering their children and preserving a degree of privacy for him.
‘I was in so much sadness and darkness for so long,’ the 47-year-old said. ‘It felt like what was happening was only happening to us.’
Her method of coping with her circumstances evolved as she ‘realized it would be beneficial to talk about it and raise awareness so people get to the doctor sooner, can be diagnosed sooner, get into clinical trials.’
She added: ‘FTD gets misdiagnosed all the time as bipolar, midlife crisis, depression. It is just not on anyone’s radar, which is why I think coming out with Bruce’s diagnosis was so important.’
As a consequence, her memoir was written to be ‘the book that I wish someone had handed me on the day we received the diagnosis.’
She recently revealed that the ‘hardest decision’ she took while looking after him was moving him into a separate one-story house away from their primary residence
Bruce has been surrounded by his close-knit blended family, including both his wives and all his daughters, who have rallied around him to help him cope with his health struggles
Emma shared: ‘While the grief and sadness and trauma is here all the time, I have learned it’s okay for me to also enjoy our life. Bruce would want that for me and for our kids, to not wallow in the sadness of it, but also rise to it.’
Her remarks come after a family insider informed the Daily Mail that Bruce is ‘going downhill fast’ to the point he ‘doesn’t know some faces’ anymore.
Bruce’s blended family has rallied around him amid his illness, including his ex-wife Demi Moore and their daughters Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31.
The Daily Mail source said Bruce’s daughters are ‘are all spending as much time with him as they can,’ adding: ‘He lights up when he sees his children.’
Emma recently revealed that the ‘hardest decision’ she took while looking after him was moving him into a separate one-story house away from their primary residence.
He lives there with a full-time care team, while Emma brings their daughters Mabel and Evelyn to visit him ‘a lot,’ including for breakfast and dinner.
Disorder crept into their home life and the couple – who share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11 – experienced marital stress they had not suffered before
‘Bruce would want that for our daughters,’ said Emma. ‘He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.’
The couple made the revelation during a joint ABC special with Diane Sawyer entitled Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey.
Days after the broadcast aired, Emma posted to Instagram saying she had been criticized online for moving Bruce into a separate house.
She argued she had been judged ‘quickly and unfairly,’ saying viewers were split between ‘people with an opinion versus people with an actual experience.’
During the Diane Sawyer special, Emma explained: ‘Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce is in really great health overall, you know. It’s just his brain that is failing him.’
She added: ‘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.’
