Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming has surprisingly insisted that their 18 year relationship has hit a peak despite her famous husband’s struggle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
The 47-year-old British model – who revealed that his dementia had caused marriage tension – candidly and positively talked about where their relationship stands today.
Bruce, 70, famously 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).
‘Early on, life felt very dark, very one-note of just grief and sadness,’ Emma told People magazine about how it felt when the diagnosis came through.
However, things certainly seemed to have turned around after seeking guidance from experts and finding strength in the community of nearly 12million people in the US who are caring for a loved one with dementia in addition to her advocacy.
Bruce Willis ‘ wife Emma Heming has surprisingly insisted that their 18 year relationship has hit a peak despite her famous husband’s struggle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD); the two are seen in New York back in October 2019
Emma gushed about her newfound connection with Bruce as she said: ‘I feel like our love story has only grown and developed more.
‘It sounds woo-woo but it’s just on a more cellular level. I am so grateful that he is very much here, very much a part of our day-to-day.’
As the dynamic has shifted in their relationship, she has also changed her perspective and is enjoying the little moments together.
She explained: ‘It has meant so much to be able to meet him where he’s at, to enjoy this time with him.’
FTD does not cause memory loss at first, but rather initially attacks the parts of the brain in charge of language and personality.
The advocate said: ‘Bruce is very present in his body, and there is something so lovely and wonderful about that. He’s not thinking about what happened yesterday or what’s happening in the future. He is very grounded in today.’
It was also revealed that his speech has been compromised but Emma still has a positive outlook.
She told People: ‘Sometimes, love does not need words. I can just sit there with Bruce, and we look at each other and we laugh and smile and that, to me, is more than anything.’
Emma (seen in October) gushed about her newfound connection with Bruce as she told People: ‘I feel like our love story has only grown and developed more’
This comes after Emma revealed that their marriage ‘shifted’ from the tension brought about by his dementia.
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.
‘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.’
Emma also recently revealed that her marriage to Bruce ‘shifted’ from the tension brought about by his dementia; the couple are pictured in 2018
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.’
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.
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
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.
‘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.
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
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.’
