Bruce Willis' wife overwhelmed by 'battle' with grief after dementia diagnosis

26 September 2023 , 09:50

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Bruce Willis' wife overwhelmed by 'battle' with grief after dementia diagnosis

Emma Heming Willis "epitomised stoicism and bravery" in a recent interview about her husband Bruce Willis, a body language expert has exclusively told The Mirror following the broadcast.

It was announced earlier this year that Bruce, 68, had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). His family, including his wife Emma, 45, have been raising awareness around the condition in the months since the news.

Emma - who has been married to the retired actor since 2009 - appeared on the Today Show on Monday for an interview that coincided with World FTD Awareness Week. She spoke about her husband and her experience supporting him.

Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming Willis appeared on the Today Show earlier this week (The Today Show)

The Mirror spoke to body language expert Judi James following the broadcast of the interview on NBC earlier this week. She shared her thoughts, including that Emma - who shares two children with Bruce - seemed to display "bravery".

She said: "Emma's body language performance as she talks about her husband here seems to epitomise stoicism and bravery. She adopts a pose of calm, elegant graciousness and appears determined to avoid any hint of self pity or even the use of the 'I' word.

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"It would be impossible to avoid spotting the effort she is putting in to supress her inner emotions though when there are so many clues and cues from her body language to hint at her sadness as a series of touching and affecting photos of herself and Bruce appear on the screen."

Further sharing her thoughts on Emma's body language in the recent interview, Jud continued by saying: "She clearly clings to her key objective which is to help others going through similar by discussing the illness.

"When she is asked a question though we can see the inner struggle begin as she looks up to access her memory to enable her to construct and answer but then has to shut that actual memory down to allow her to speak without being overwhelmed by what she describes as 'sadness and grief'."

The body language expert further commented: "We can see her reflective upward gaze from the first question before she looks back at the interviewer, shaking her head gently and closing her eyes briefly in a re-boot ritual."

She appeared on the NBC show alongside Susan Dickinson, who's the CEO of The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (The Today Show)

Judi went on to state: "Her pose looks elegant but it is also self-diminished, hinting at inner vulnerability. Her hands are clasped tight in her lap and her legs are clamped and there are some small self-comfort thumb rubs as she talks.

"Emma looks so determined to be polite and to get her message across and at one point when she does seem on the first stages of tears she does two small tongue-pokes and a small sigh before dipping her chin with the sweetest smile at the presenter in what looks like an acknowledgment of her inner battle but also a desire to carry on.

"Emma appears determined to deflect any sympathy aimed in her direction though. Asked to describe being a ‘care partner’ she de-personalises immediately, giving advice and tips rather than describing her own sadness and struggles."

If you have questions about frontotemporal dementia, or any other form of dementia, you can contact our Dementia Research Infoline on 0300 111 5 111 between 9.00-5.00pm Monday to Friday or send an email to [email protected]

Jessica Gibb