Emma Heming Willis has offered a poignant and rare glimpse into how her family is navigating the Christmas season as her husband, the celebrated actor Bruce Willis, lives with frontotemporal dementia.
A Different Kind of Christmas Joy
Speaking at the End Well 2025 conference in Los Angeles last week, the 47-year-old model shared an emotional insight with People magazine. She described the family's holiday approach as both joyous and altered. Bruce, who always adored Christmas, remains at the heart of their celebrations, though the festivities now look different, requiring the family to adapt.
'It's joyous. It's just different,' Emma explained. 'Bruce loved Christmas and we love celebrating it with him. It just looks different, so we've kind of adapted to that.' She acknowledged that the holiday period can be particularly painful for families facing dementia but stressed the critical importance of preserving tradition and a positive outlook.
Creating New Memories Amid Challenge
Emma, a best-selling author, articulated a philosophy of resilience for others in similar situations. 'You have to learn and adapt and make new memories, bring in the same traditions that you had before,' she said. 'Life goes on. It just goes on. Dementia is hard, but there is still joy in it.'
She expressed her firm belief that it is vital not to paint an entirely negative picture of dementia, emphasising the need to continue finding reasons to laugh and feel happy. In a touch of her trademark humour, she quipped about one non-negotiable tradition: 'I think it's important to put Die Hard on because it's a Christmas movie.'
Emma and Bruce are parents to daughters Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11. Bruce also has three adult children—Rumer Glenn, 37, Scout LaRue, 34, and Tallulah Belle, 31—with his ex-wife, Demi Moore.
The Sobering Reality of Caregiving
Beyond the festive season, Emma has been candid about the broader challenges of caregiving. Earlier this month, on Maria Menounos' HealSquad podcast, she revealed a sobering warning from Bruce's neurologist: nearly 30 percent of caregivers die before the person they are caring for, often due to neglecting their own health.
'I really needed to hear that to wake up,' Emma admitted, noting the immense pressure on caregivers who handle appointments and logistics for everyone else. She passionately urged other caregivers to prioritise self-care without guilt, stating, 'Caregivers need to know that in order to make it sustainable, you must care for yourself, that it is not selfish, it is self-preserving.'
Bruce Willis, 70, publicly announced his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis in 2023. Unlike Alzheimer's, FTD typically affects personality, language, and behaviour first, rather than memory. It accounts for roughly one in twenty dementia cases in the US and often strikes earlier, with patients commonly diagnosed around age 60.
As his condition progresses, Bruce is now supported by a full-time professional care team. Despite the emotional weight of their reality, Emma remains steadfast in her commitment to celebrating life, advocating for dignity and compassion, and finding happiness in their redefined family moments.
