Bruce Willis’ wife says her husband is living alone so he can get better support from professional carers after two years of dementia.

On August 27, former model Emma Heming Willis, 47, spoke to journalist Diane Sawyer about the current life of her husband – actor Bruce Willis, 70 – on ABC .

She said that the artist is still physically healthy but his brain is weakening. “He is gradually losing his ability to speak and the whole family has learned to adapt. We have our own way of communicating with him,” she added.

According to Emma, ​​Bruce Willis still recognizes his wife because the actor’s mood improves whenever she is around. The Die Hard star currently maintains a good relationship with his five daughters, including the two youngest – children with Emma, ​​and three children with his ex-wife Demi Moore. In March, the star posted a photo wishing her ex-husband a happy birthday.

“He used to hold our hands. When people hugged and kissed him, Bruce responded and liked it. For me, that was enough. I didn’t need him to remember who my wife was, our wedding day or anything else. I just needed to feel that there was still a connection between us. And I still feel that way,” Emma said.

Emma Heming and Bruce Willis through the lens of Demi Moore. Over the years, the star has maintained a good relationship with her ex-husband and his new family, often visiting and supporting them. Photo: Instagram Demi Moore

Also in the interview, Emma Heming recounted the time she discovered her husband’s illness through some signs such as personality changes. She realized Bruce had a problem when she saw that the person who was usually warm and full of affection like him suddenly became distant from his wife and children, indifferent to everyone.

Emma was worried and scared by this attitude, not understanding what was happening. She wondered how she could continue the marriage if they no longer had feelings for each other.

At the same time, Emma witnessed her husband’s childhood stuttering returning. At work, Bruce began to forget his lines, miss cues, and sometimes seemed confused, but no one knew why.

In March 2022, Bruce Willis retired due to speech impairment, a decline in his ability to communicate, read and write. A year later, his family announced that he had frontotemporal dementia .

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease affects personality and changes the patient’s behavior. There is currently no treatment or cure.

Bruce Wilis carries his youngest daughter on the streets of New York in November 2024. Video: Instagram/ Emma Heming Willis

On the show, Emma recounted how she panicked when she received the diagnosis, being told by doctors that there was “no hope”. As for Bruce, she said he “couldn’t piece together what had happened”.

In the early months, Emma had to make difficult choices for herself and her children. One of them was to reveal Bruce’s condition to her children – Mabel, now 13, and Evelyn, 11 – so they wouldn’t think he “stopped caring”. During her care, she realized that noise could agitate the artist, so she stopped hosting gatherings or sleepovers for the two children.

“I didn’t know if other parents would be comfortable leaving their children at our house. I took the initiative to separate the whole family from other families. It was a very difficult period,” she said.

As the actor’s condition worsened, Emma Heming and her family decided to move him to a safer, quieter second home not far from her own. Emma also hired a professional care team to support Bruce day and night. She maintained the habit of having breakfast and dinner with her husband every day.

The former model said leaving her husband was “one of the hardest decisions” but she believed Bruce wanted it for the children. “I think he wanted them to be in a home that met their needs, not his,” she added.

Bruce Willis celebrates his birthday with his extended family in 2023. The actor stands between his two eldest daughters Tallulah (left) and Scout, Demi Moore stands next to Rumer (right) and Mabel. Photo: Instagram Demi Moore

The actor’s wife used to think she had to do everything herself, before realizing she could ask for help. According to her, it was only when her husband’s stepdaughter – Scout Willis, 34 – said she was more worried about her stepmother than her father that she realized it was time to ask for help.

Emma said: “I will never forget when Scout said that. I was like: ‘Yeah, I’m falling apart. I need to pick myself up.’” After that, she went to depression treatment, found someone to take care of Bruce Willis.

The experience has inspired her to advocate for caregivers and advocate for families with loved ones living with dementia. In September, she plans to release her memoir, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope and Yourself on the Caregiving Path , which Amazon describes as a guide to helping others cope.

Bruce Willis was born in 1955, is an American actor of German descent. He became known to many people after a series of romantic comedies in the 1980s such as Moonlighting , Hudson Hawk .

After that, the actor switched to acting in action films and appeared in a series of blockbusters. His total box office revenue is about 8.3 billion USD, in the top 100 highest-grossing actors of all time, according to The Numbers . In 2009, Bruce married Emma Heming.