Emma Willis, wife of actor Bruce Willis, has shared new details about life after his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis, including what she calls the most difficult decision she’s had to make.
Emma, 47, made the comments during an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer that aired on Tuesday. “Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey” traces the family’s path, beginning with their March 2022 announcement of Bruce’s retirement from acting and exploring how they’ve moved forward since.
“Bruce is in really great health overall, you know. It’s just his brain that is failing him,” Emma told Sawyer. “The language is going, and, you know, we’ve learned to adapt,” she said. “And we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a different, a different way.”
Emma said she believes the “Die Hard” star recognizes her and his five daughters because of how he “lights up” when they’re around.
“He’s holding our hands. We’re kissing him. We’re hugging him,” she told Sawyer. “He is reciprocating. You know, he is into it.”
“And so that’s all I need, you know?” Emma added. “I don’t need him to know that I am his wife, and we were married on this day … I don’t need any of that. I just wanna feel that I have a connection with him. And I do.”
Emma explained how some of the first signs of FTD included personality changes, like Bruce becoming quieter when he used to be talkative. “He felt a little removed, a little cold, not like Bruce, who is very warm and affectionate. To go the complete opposite of that was alarming and scary,” she said. “I didn’t understand what was happening, and I thought just, like, ‘How can I remain in a marriage that doesn’t feel like what we had?’”
She said Bruce, now 70, also started missing lines during filming and seemed confused, which was abnormal for him. They received the FTD diagnosis and were told there was no treatment or cure.
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FTD is “the result of damage to neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain,” according to the National Institute on Aging. Symptoms can include “unusual behaviors, emotional problems, trouble communicating, difficulty with work, or difficulty with walking.”
Emma also discussed moving Bruce to a detached one-story house to be with his caregiving team full-time, calling it “one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make.” She told Sawyer she visits him daily and eats meals with him twice per day.
“I knew first and foremost 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. We’re there a lot. It’s our second home, so [the] girls have their things there. It is a house that is filled with love and warmth and care and laughter, and it’s been beautiful to see that. To see how many of Bruce’s friends continue to show up for him and they bring in life and fun,” she said.
Bruce and Emma got married in Turks and Caicos in March 2009 and went on to have two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn. The actor was previously married to Demi Moore for 12 years and has three daughters with her: Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah.
