Bruce Willis’ wife Emma admits dementia strained marriage as couple now live apart

Emma Heming Willis, wife of actor Bruce Willis, has shared her emotional personal experience caring for her husband after his diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), emphasizing on the challenges the family has gone through.

FTD does not cause memory loss initially, but rather primarily targets the parts of the brain in charge of language and personality. Now Emma, who relocated Bruce into a separate home to be cared for by a full-time team, is publishing a book for sharing her experience 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 for the promotion of the memoir. "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."

Impact on Family

The illness impacted their home life, and the couple, who share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, faced marital stress. Emma reflected on the role she assumed:

"I think for most [people], by the time you get to a diagnosis, you are already in that role," she explained, citing that an official confirmation of Bruce's disease brought relief. "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."

Emma explained the emotional toll she endured:

"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 coping mechanism evolved as she realized the significance of raising awareness:

"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 said.
"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."

Writing the Memoir

Emma wrote her memoir to support others facing similar situations:

"The book that I wish someone had handed me on the day we received the diagnosis."

She highlighted the requirement of balancing grief with life’s joys:

"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."

According to sources, Bruce’s daughters "are all spending as much time with him as they can," and "He lights up when he sees his children."

Arrangements for Care

Emma said that the toughest decision was relocating Bruce into a separate one-story home, where he is now cared for by a full-time team. She described:

"Bruce would want that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs."

During a Diane Sawyer special, Emma shared updates on Bruce’s current condition:

"Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce is in really great health overall, you know. It's just his brain that is failing him."
"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."

FAQs:

Q1. Who is Bruce Willis?

Bruce Willis is a renowned American actor and producer, popular for action films like Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, and The Fifth Element. He has won several awards for his performance in film and television and is considered one of Hollywood’s most iconic action stars.

Q2. Who is Emma Heming Willis?

Emma Heming Willis is a British-American model, actress, and wellness advocate. She is also popular for being Bruce Willis’ wife and has become a prominent voice in raising awareness about frontotemporal dementia (FTD) recently while caring for her husband.