Bruce Willis’ wife reveals why family with dementia went public

Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, has opened up about sharing the ‘Die Hard’ star’s dementia diagnosis, rather than the ‘isolating’ option of keeping it private.

The 45-year-old model spoke about the family’s decision at the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration’s 2024 education conference on Tuesday.

Frontotemporal dementia, according to the Mayo Clinic, refers to a group of diseases that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, the areas related to personality, behavior and language.

“First and foremost, it was so isolating and I tried to keep it quiet, but it was really about our daughters,” says Heming Willis, who married Willis in 2009 and shares Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 9, with the 69 – year old actor.

“I never wanted them to think this was some kind of family secret that we have to keep,” she added. “It was very important for us to come out and say what it was.”

Heming Willis said she also wanted the couple’s children to see the family “raising awareness and on a global scale because that’s the kind of reach their father has. And I know he would want us to do that.”

Making the diagnosis public allowed Heming Willis to “breathe,” she said, noting that it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It also allowed her to “seek the support I so desperately needed” – for both her husband and the family as a whole.

In early 2022, Willis’ family, including ex-wife Demi Moore and their adult daughters — Rumer, Scout and Tallulah — announced in a joint statement that he was “retiring” from acting due to aphasia, which affects a patient’s ability to communicate . .

The family released an update in February 2023, confirming that Willis’ condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia.