The actor’s dementia seems to be anything but easy for the family. Nevertheless, she holds together.
Bruce Willis has been with his wife Emma Heming Willis since 2007. Two years later they both married. Now they celebrated their 17th anniversary on December 29th. In a post, the model shared a few words about it – and what it’s like to deal with her husband’s dementia.
“17 years us,” the 46-year-old wrote under a post on her Instagram account on December 29th. “Anniversaries used to bring excitement – now, if I’m honest, they bring up a lot of emotions, leaving a heaviness in my heart and a hole in my stomach.”
Willis continues: “I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the “why him, why us” and feel the anger and the grief.” But the mother of two daughters still doesn’t want to let her feelings overwhelm her: “Then I shake it off and return to what is. And what is… is unconditional love. I feel blessed to know her and it’s all because of him. I would do it again without hesitation.”
Diagnosis: Frontotemporal dementia
Bruce Willis’ family made his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) public in February 2023. A year earlier, the actor was diagnosed with aphasia, which later turned out to be another symptom of his dementia.
Emma Heming Willis wrote in an Instagram post on February 16, 2023: “Since Bruce’s aphasia diagnosis was announced in the spring of 2022, his condition has evolved and we now have a more precise diagnosis: Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Unfortunately, the communication problems are just a symptom of the illness Bruce is struggling with. It’s painful, but it’s a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”
Bruce Willis in a “stable situation”
Willis’ ex-wife Demi Moore also looks after the well-being of the “Die Hard” actor. The actress said on September 13, 2024 on the “Drew Barrymore Show”: “Under the circumstances, he is in a stable situation.” And: “I tell my children that you have to meet people where they are condition. One should not hold on to who they used to be or what one expects of them, but accept who they are at this moment. From this comes so much beauty, joy, love and sweetness.”
Moore and Willis were married from 1987 to 2000. Their relationship resulted in three daughters, Rumer, Tallulah Belle and Scout LaRue Willis, who also maintain a friendly relationship with Willis’ new family.