How Bruce Willis’ Wife Emma Heming Willis Explained His Frontotemporal Dementia Diagnosis to Their Kids

Emma Heming Willis has spent her last few years focusing on four core roles: mother, wife, caregiver and advocate.

Bruce Willis’ wife of 15 years, with whom he shares young daughters Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10, recently gave insight into how she’s navigated Bruce’s diagnoses of frontotemporal dementia and aphasia while raising their girls.

“Finally getting to a diagnosis was key so that I could learn what fronto­temporal dementia is and I could educate our children,” Emma shared with Town & Country magazine in an interview published on Oct. 29 of the 2022 diagnosis. “I’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything for them. They’ve grown up with Bruce declining over the years. I’m not trying to shield them from it.”

One of the ways she educates her and Bruce’s children is by letting them take the lead.

“What I learned from our therapist was that if children ask questions, they’re ready to know the answer,” she noted. “If we could see that Bruce was struggling, I would address it with the kids so they could understand.”

However, there’s one aspect of FTD that Emma has not discussed with Mabel or Evelyn.

“This disease is chronic, progressive, and terminal,” she explained. “There is no cure. Obviously, I don’t like to speak about the terminal side of this with them, nor have they asked. They know that Daddy’s not going to get better.”

One aspect of the disease that Emma, 46, has had to come to terms with is how it has significantly shifted her family’s plans for the future.

“We had so many plans, so many beautiful things we wanted to do with our girls, so many things that we wanted to experience together,” Emma lamented of Bruce, who also shares daughters Rumer Willis, 36, Scout Willis, 33, and Tallulah Willis, 30, with ex-wife Demi Moore. “You just rip that page out completely, and then how do you rewrite the story? I’m learning how to take some control back. It might not be the most beautiful story I could have thought of, but there are cracks of light.”

Emma is reclaiming her family’s story by serving as an advocate for FTD research and awareness, a decision she believes Bruce, 69, would be proud of.

“I’m not going to allow FTD to take our whole family down,” she explained. “Bruce wouldn’t want that. [Our kids are] going to see me fight for our family, have some hope, and help the next family out there.”

And Emma also has the support of Bruce’s blended family—including Demi. “The family respects the way I’m looking after him; they really support me,” she shared. “If I need to vent, if I need to cry, if I need to rage—because all of that can happen and it’s okay to have those feelings—they are always there to listen.”

She added, “I’m so thankful that we are this blended family. They’re very supportive, very loving, and very helpful, and a lot of people don’t have that.”

For more on Bruce’s sweet moments with his family, read on.

"Oh Daddio, to be loved by you is such a gift," Rumer Willis wrote in an Instagram tribute to her father in March 2024. "You are the funniest, most tender, charming, out of this world silly talented and magical papa. Looking through these photos this morning I am just filled with the deepest gratitude that we chose to spend this life together. I am your first baby and man sometimes I wish I could be tiny enough to just cozy up on your chest again and laugh and cuddle you."

She continued, "I love you so deep in my bones I don’t know how my muscles hold them. You are the greatest papa I could ever hope for. Thank you for your generosity, your silliness and heart. Lou loves you so big. Happy Birthday Daddio."

Love is a beautiful thing," the actor's wife Emma Heming Willis wrote on Instagram, almost exactly one year after his family announced his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. "Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day."

In February 2024, Demi Moore shared this pic of her ex-husband with the youngest of the three daughters they share together, writing, "Showering our @buuski with love today on her 30th birthday."

In November 2023, the actor celebrated his first Thanksgiving since being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia earlier that year. His wife Emma shared this photo from Bruce's 68th birthday party from March.

"I’m grateful and thankful to know this kind of love," she wrote. "Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving."

Bruce Willis stepped out with Emma to celebrate the release of Demi's 2019 memoir Inside Out. He is joined by his three daughters with the G.I. Jane actress, Rumer Willis, Scout Willis and Tallulah Willis.

Bruce and Emma appear on a hike with their daughters Evelyn Willis and Mabel Willis.

The actor posed with his ex-wife and their daughters Rumer and Tallulah backstage at his Comedy Central roast in 2018.

Bruce became a grandpa in April 2023 when Rumer welcomed a baby girl named Louetta.

The entire family got together to celebrate the birth of Rumer's baby.

Bruce had two special vistors when he starred in Broadway's Misery in 2016.

The family showed up in full force to support Rumer's 2015 Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago.

"I put my camera on a ladder, set the timer, and crossed my fingers," Emma captioned this family Christmas photo. "Now that’s 2020 for you."

Bruce took his three oldest daughters to the Over the Hedge premiere in 2006.

The dad of five shared a sweet moment with daughter Mabel.

Tallulah, Scout and Rumer joined their dad at a Bruce Willis Charity Foundation in 2005.

The family celebrated Rumer's Dancing With the Stars win with Val Chmerkovskiy.

"What a privilege it is every day to be your daughter," Rumer captioned this throwback photo. "I love you so much. You are the coolest cat in town."

Emma rang in her 43rd birthday in 2021 with Bruce and their daughters, as well as Rumer and Demi.

The family spent Christmas 2022 together.

Bruce was joined by mom Marlene and his three oldest daughters when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.

The action star dressed up with Mabel and Evelyn on Halloween 2021.

Tallulah jokingly captioned this photo of herself and dad Bruce making silly faces, "high drama club."

Evelyn and Mabel hit the slopes during a family ski trip.

The family, including Demi's then-husband Ashton Kutcher, stepped out to watch Rumer in 2008's The House Bunny.

Bruce and Emma took their kids to Walt Disney World in 2017.

"First time performing in a play for these two!" Emma wrote on Instagram 2018. "Mabel played Molly and Evelyn as Sandy in an Off-off-off-off-off-off Broadway [winking emoji] production of Annie. The whole cast and production was stellar—Mom and Dad couldn’t be prouder."

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