Bruce Willis’ wife broke down as she shared a heartbreaking dementia update (Image: Getty)
Emma Heming Willis has broken down in tears as she revealed the devastating impact dementia is having on her husband Bruce Willis. The British model, 49, sat down with Diane Sawyer for a new interview on Good Morning America on Tuesday, August 26, where she spoke openly about Bruce’s frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis. Emma described how the family still experiences fleeting glimpses of the Die Hard star’s old self – but said those moments vanish all too quickly.
“It’s his laugh, right? He has such a hearty laugh,” Emma said. “And sometimes you’ll see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk. I just get transported.” Holding back tears, she added: “And it’s just hard to see, because as quickly as those moments appear, then it goes,” before snapping her fingers.
The British model, 49, sat down with Diane Sawyer for a new interview (Image: ABC)
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The Willis family first revealed in March 2022 that Bruce had been diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder affecting language and communication, forcing him to retire from acting. By February 2023, they disclosed the condition had advanced into FTD, a degenerative form of dementia.
Speaking in the ABC special Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, 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.”
The actor, now 70, is most widely known for his action roles and sharp one-liners. But Emma admitted the disease has robbed him of language. “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 way.”
Emma has also turned her family’s painful journey into a mission to help others. In her new book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, which will be released on September 9, she shares her experiences of caregiving and the challenges faced by families dealing with dementia.
She admitted that at first she felt she had to face it alone, isolating Bruce and their children from social gatherings to make him more comfortable. But she now advocates for wider awareness and support.
Through it all, Emma says she and their daughters, aged 11 and 13, still cherish the moments when Bruce’s personality shines through. “Not days, but we get moments,” she told Sawyer.
“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.”
She concluded: “And 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.”
