Bruce Willis’s wife Emma Heming has revealed their young children are grieving their dad after his dementia diagnosis.
The model and influencer, 47, has been acting as a carer for her actor husband, 70, since he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a form of dementia that causes a gradual decline in the areas of the brain linked to personality and language abilities.
While the star has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since his diagnosis, wife Emma and other family members provide occasional updates on his condition.
Now, Emma has shed light on how their children Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11, are coping with their dad’s disease.
‘I think they’re doing well, all things considered but it’s hard,’ Emma told Vogue Australia on Friday.
‘They grieve, they miss their dad so much. He’s missing important milestones, that’s tough for them – but kids are resilient, [although] I used to hate hearing that because people didn’t understand what we were walking through.’
Bruce Willis’s wife Emma Heming has revealed their young children are grieving their dad after his dementia diagnosis
Now, Emma has shed light on how their children Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11, (Pictured) are coping with their dad’s disease
She added: ‘I don’t know if my kids will ever bounce back, but they’re learning and so am I.’
Earlier this month, sources close to the family revealed Heming Willis is struggling to not only help manage the star’s rapidly deteriorating condition but also manage his hefty estate.
The source said: ‘Taking care of Bruce isn’t just about keeping up his spirits and making sure he can physically get through the day. It also involves looking after the massive fortune he accrued as an A-list movie star.’
Emma herself said moving her husband into a separate residence was the best decision for their family.
She said moving Bruce into a new home where is supported by carers 24/7, has allowed her to go back to just being his wife.
Emma told The Sunday Times: ‘It was of the hardest decisions I ever had to make.
‘But among the sadness and discomfort, it was the right move — for him, for our girls, for me. Ultimately, I could get back to being his wife. And that’s such a gift.’
Emma added it has also given Bruce more independence, giving him the chance to reconnect with friends and family.
The model and influencer, 47, has been acting as a carer for her actor husband, 70, since he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (Bruce and Emma seen in 2010)
While the star has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since his diagnosis, wife Emma and other family members provide occasional updates on his condition (Bruce seen with wife Emma, ex-wife Demi Moore and his children)
She explained: ‘It’s made such a difference for more friends and family to have their own experience with him without it being my home, without me hovering, or my anxiety of how to manage the guest and their expectations, and then have to see their reactions – their sadness at what is.’
Willis has an estimated $250million in the bank, which his wife is reportedly now in charge of, as his FTD is too advanced for him to manage it with his team.
FTD eats away at the parts of the brain that control language, behaviour and personality. Unlike Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, patients don’t lose their memory immediately but instead undergo personality changes.
The disease also attacks areas of the brain responsible for judgment, impulse control and decision-making, leading patients vulnerable to mismanaging their finances, even if they have advisors.
The family insider told Globe: ‘She’s having to learn a lot of this stuff as she goes, and it’s no wonder she seems to be carrying around a huge burden right now.
‘It’s a full-time job unto itself. Emma never anticipated she’d be responsible for this when she and Bruce first got involved, because Bruce had a giant business team taking care of that stuff.’
FTD accounts for about one in 20 dementia cases, adding up to roughly 50,000 to 60,000 Americans, compared to over 6 million with Alzheimer’s.
In August, Emma said in an interview with Diane Sawyer that her husband has been moved into a separate one-story home away from their main house, where he has a 24/7 care team.
A separate family insider told the Daily Mail: ‘He is going downhill fast.’
Scout Willis shared a new photo with her father Bruce to Instagram last month.
The daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce, 34, was seen sitting on an outdoor wicker sofa with the Die Hard actor as well as her sister Tallulah.
Tallulah wore a yellow top with black leggings, dad Bruce was in a grey T-shirt and black slacks, and Scout modelled a soft pink hoodie with sweatpants.
The patriarch looked carefree as he smiled in the rare social media image. ‘Belated tidings from a summer of wonder,’ wrote Scout in her Instagram caption.
