Bruce Willis' wife sadly admits his dementia is a 'family disease'

29 September 2023 , 13:03

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Bruce Willis' wife says his dementia diagnosis is a 'family disease' in emotional admission

Bruce Willis ' wife has made an emotional admission about her husband's dementia diagnosis, admitting that the disease has affected the whole family.

Emma Heming Willis, who wed the 68-year-old in 2009, has been the Hollywood icon's "care partner" ever since he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a rare type of the horrific disease that causes particular problems with behaviour and language. As a result of his diagnosis, Bruce stepped away from his successful acting career in March 2022.

And now speaking in a revealing new interview, Emma - who shares daughters Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, nine with Bruce - has admitted it is "hard to know" if her husband is aware of his dementia. The 45-year-old admitted: "What I'm learning is that dementia is hard. It's hard on the person diagnosed. It's also hard on the family. And that is no different for Bruce or myself or our girls. And when they say that this is a 'family disease,' it really is."

Bruce Willis' wife revealed her husband's dementia diagnosis is a 'family disease' (AFP via Getty Images)

She also spoke further of disclosing Bruce's condition to their young daughters. "We're a very honest and open household," she continued in an interview on The Today Show. "The most important thing was to say what the disease was. Explain what it is because when you know what the disease is from a medical standpoint, it sort of all makes sense." Emma added: "So, it was important that we let them know what it is because, you know, I don't want there to be any stigma or shame attached to their dad's diagnosis or for any form of dementia. This is not what I would want for them."

Emma said that she was teaching her girls to "care and love" with circumstances being "beautiful amongst the sadness". Later, she added that Bruce's official diagnosis was a "blessing and a curse". She explained: "To sort of finally understand what was happening, so I could be into the acceptance of what is. It doesn't make it any less painful, but just being in the acceptance and just being in the know of what is happening to Bruce, just makes it a little bit easier."

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"It's hard on the person diagnosed. It's also hard on the family," Emma said (emmahemingwillis/Instagram)

Emma has disclosed Bruce's condition to their young daughters to avoid any 'stigma' or 'shame' (emmahemingwillis/Instagram)

Emma's interview comes after Bruce's daughter Tallulah, 29, who he shares with ex Demi Moore, wrote a moving essay for Vogue, in which she described her dad's progressive neurological disorder " chipping away at his cognition and behaviour day by day ".

Heartbreakingly, she added that she had known something was wrong with Bruce health-wise for a "long time", but had previously put his "vague unresponsiveness" down to Hollywood hearing loss, telling her dad: "Speak up!" She added: "Die Hard messed with Dad's ears." She concluded by expressing her joy that her dad "still knows who I am and lights up when I enter the room", and now her primary purpose is to make him more comfortable.

Jabeen Waheed