Bruce Willis is now living in a “second home” with a dedicated care team as his battle with dementia progresses, his wife Emma Heming Willis revealed in an interview with Diane Sawyer.
The 70-year-old actor, best known for his iconic role in Die Hard, currently requires 24-hour support, a decision Emma said was painful but necessary for their family.
Highlights
- Bruce Willis’ wife Emma has revealed that he now lives in a second home with full-time care.
- The actor’s battle with dementia has deeply impacted his family, including his young daughters.
- Emma shared both heartbreaking changes and moments of resilience in a recent interview.
The decision to move Bruce Willis to a second home was a hard decision for the family
Image credits: emmahemingwillis
Emma, 47, admitted that the decision to move her husband into a nearby second home was one of the hardest of her life.
“It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make so far. First and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters,” she explained during her interview.
“He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”
Image credits: demimoore
Their daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, still see their father “a lot,” visiting him for breakfast and dinner, according to a New York Post report.
Emma stated that maintaining that connection is essential, even as dementia alters the way the family functions.
Willis’ other children, Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, from his marriage to Demi Moore, also remain close, supporting their father and the extended family.
Image credits: Good Morning America
Bruce Willis’ condition unraveled over several years
Initially, the Die Hard star was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022. Following his diagnosis, he decided to officially retire from acting.
The beloved actor was officially diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023, a disorder that affects the brain’s language, behavior, and personality centers.
Emma recalled that before the diagnosis, she noticed subtle but unsettling changes in Bruce’s demeanor.
“For someone who was very talkative and very engaged, he was just a little more quiet,” she said.
Image credits: demimoore
“When the family would get together, he would just melt a little bit. It felt a little removed, very cold, not like Bruce, who was very warm and affectionate. To go the complete opposite of that was alarming and scary.”
Emma described how the changes strained their marriage. She admitted that she even questioned whether she could remain in a relationship that no longer felt like what they once shared.
“I didn’t understand what was happening,” she said. “I just thought: Can I remain in a marriage that doesn’t feel like what we had? That doesn’t feel like a marriage anymore?”
Image credits: demimoore
Emma shared that she had “conversations” with Willis about their problems. However, “he would always just dismiss it” until the family learned about his condition.
Despite his neurological disorder, Bruce Willis’ family is still finding new ways to communicate with him
While the neurological decline has taken a toll on Bruce’s language skills, Emma emphasized that he is still physically mobile and overall in good health.
“We’ve learned to adapt and we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a different way,” she said, adding that the actor is “in really great health overall.”
Bruce Willis’ language skills, however, have been on a decline, Emma noted.
“His brain is failing him,” she said, adding, “the language is going.”
Image credits: emmahemingwillis
During her interview, Emma shared that there are still times when Bruce Willis is lucid. “We still get those days. Not days, but we get moments,” she said.
“It’s his laugh, right? Like, he has such, like, a hearty laugh. And, you know, sometimes you’ll see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk, and, you know, I just get, like, transported.”
Unfortunately, Emma also admitted that the comments when Bruce Willis is lucid are very brief, and when they end, it becomes difficult, according to the NY Post.
Image credits: emmahemingwillis
“It’s just hard to see, because as quickly as those moments appear, then it goes. It’s hard. But I’m grateful. I’m grateful that my husband is still very much here,” she said.
Emma's experience with her husband inspired her to write a book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, which will be released September 9.
Netizens shared their thoughts on Bruce Willis’ health condition on social media
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