Bruce Willis is living with caregivers in a second home near that of his wife and young children following his diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia.
The 70-year-old star’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, who detailed her caregiving experiences in the book, The Unexpected Journey— out Sept9 — spoke to Diane Sawyer about the family’s new normal in an ABC News special of the same name.
Willis lives with a round-the-clock care team in a home near Heming Willis, 49, and their two young daughters. His family, including ex-wife Demi Moore and their three adult daughters, can easily visit the one-story residence, which is “safer for him and his caregivers to navigate.”
“It’s one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make so far,” said Heming Willis, who stops by for breakfast and at night. “But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. You know, he would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs. We’re there a lot, so the girls have their things there. It is … a house that is filled with warmth and love and care and laughter. And it’s been beautiful to see that, to see how many of Bruce’s friends continue to show up for it, and they bring in life and fun.”
Willis’ blended family announced in early 2022 that he would retire from acting following a diagnosis of aphasia, which affects a person’s ability to communicate. They announced his FTD diagnosis just over a year later.
Heming Willis reflected on the “alarming” shift in his demeanour, before they were aware anything was wrong medically.
“I didn’t understand what was happening. And I just thought like, ‘How can I remain in a marriage that doesn’t feel like what we had? It doesn’t feel like a marriage anymore.’ I did have these conversations with Bruce, like, ‘What is happening? Is everything OK? Are you OK?’ … [He] would dismiss it,” she recalled.
Though there are “moments” the old Willis comes through, she has “a really hard time remembering who he was.
“Sometimes it’s just easier for me just to like, stay in the what is. It’s hard to look back,” said Heming Willis. “When we are with him, he lights up. … So that’s all I need. I don’t need him to know that I am his wife, we were married on this day. … I don’t need any of that. I just want to feel that I have a connection with him, and I do.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
