Bruce Willis was once Hollywood’’s most beloved tough-guy action star, but now his family must face another kind of challenge together—a journey of love, care giving, and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Emma Heming Willis sat down with Elle for an interview about her husband’’s journey with FTD and shared why she made the decision to live apart from Bruce Willis and their two daughters.
A Love Story That Began Far From Hollywood Expectations
Emma Heming met Bruce Willis on the set of a movie they were filming together. The interview was regarding his disease but she took the time to explain how they fell in love. Emma met Bruce back in 2005 at a gym.
She tells the story of when they first met; she was engaged to someone else and honestly thought Bruce Willis was just like anyone else. That is until she got to know him outside of Hollywood.
Emma Willis Says Her Husband Was Gentle And Family Oriented
Emma Heming tells stories of how caring Bruce was with their children. When they first met, she watched him around his three daughters that he has with Demi Moore: Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah.
How he was with them made her see they could have a future together. Bruce Willis and Emma Heming got married in 2009 and soon after had two daughters together, Mabel and Evelyn.
Emma says, “He was hands-on with the kids. We had family dinners. We went on bike rides together on the weekends. We did all those cute-parent things.”
Emma Heming Noticed Something Was Off Before Diagnosis
It took time for Bruce to be diagnosed, and before he had a diagnosis Emma and Bruce did not know what was going on.
Emma noticed that Bruce became quieter throughout family time and when they were out. She thought he might have hearing problems. As time went on, Bruce started to stutter again. He had overcome his stutter as a child.
There were so many odd things happening to Bruce that Emma tells Elle even questioned if she wanted to stay with him. “I knew there was something deeper going on with my husband”
Family Received Answers Late Last Year
Late last year, Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which is progressive and impacts behavior, language, and can often be misdiagnosed as depression, burnout, or other mental issues.
Why Emma Heming Chose Separate Homes
Fans and media were curious as to why Emma chose to have two different homes for her family. Emma and Bruce chose to live separately to accommodate Bruce’’s care.
Instead of housing the whole family in one home centered around Bruce’’s care, Emma created a home life for Bruce and his caregivers and a separate home for her daughters where they could live normally as teenagers.
Emma Hemings Willis explains how Bruce didn’’t want his illness to be the reason his daughters grew up. “I will never share intimate details about my husband’”
Empowering Caregivers To Take Care Of Themselves:
Emma also went on to tell readers and fans of her story that caregiving can take a toll on you. She wrote a book called The Unexpected Journey to help families going through the unknown.
Despite the sadness of Bruce having FTD, she takes time to enjoy time with him and let’s him know he is loved. “There are moments we have with Bruce where you think, ‘Okay, this is still here. Love is still here. Connection is still here. Dignity is still here. ‘”
