Bruce Willis' wife Emma has admitted she is in a "constant state of grief" amid his dementia battle. The Die Hard star, 71, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) - a form of the condition that affects behaviour and language - in 2023.
Emma, who married Bruce in 2009, has spoken out about the daily pain the family feels but also the light she and others have been able to find in the situation.
Emma's words on grief and love
She said: "It is extremely difficult and painful. It's natural, we all want our loved ones to be healthy, full of life and being the person they always were. But FTD is a devastating illness that steals things from you very slowly. So the reality is that you find yourself constantly in a state of grief."
"What has been truly beautiful to see throughout this process is how we all pour our hearts into supporting him—how deeply we love him, while completely respecting the way each person chooses to express that love."
Speaking to Hello, she added: "I think the balance we've found is simply a reflection of who Bruce is at his core; it’s the result of all the love and support he planted over the years coming right back to him now."
Recent reflections and family background
It comes just weeks after Emma, who turned 50 in June, emotionally reflected on her big birthday amid the family's struggles. During an appearance on the Making Space podcast, she told Hoda Kotb: "The celebration was lovely I have not really been in the celebratory feelings of late. I was unsure if I really wanted to do anything. But I had a friend of mine who kept sort of pushing and saying, 'You don’t wanna miss out on your 50th. You have to celebrate in some form or fashion.'"
Bruce has daughters Mabel and Evelyn with Emma, as well as Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah, with ex-wife Demi Moore. He was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022 and retired from acting, followed by his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in 2023.
Clarifying the condition and navigating grief
She previously told the Bossticks podcast: "The one that Bruce has affects language. But there’s another variant that will affect behaviour and another one that could affect movement. That’s a different part of the brain. So when people say, ‘Oh, does he remember who you are?’ Well, he does because he doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, he has FTD. I think that’s a very common misconception that, when you think of dementia, we think of memory loss."
Emma went on to speak about the emotional impact Bruce’s illness has on the family. She said: "Thankfully there is a doctor, Dr Pauline Boss, who coined the term ambiguous loss, and it is grieving someone who is alive. And that is what many people who are caregivers to someone with dementia experience, because your person is there physically, but maybe not mentally or emotionally."
She added: "I think what you experience with any form of dementia is it just takes. You know these diseases they take and they take, sometimes very slowly and you are grieving different losses all the time. So you are constantly in grief. I’ve just learned how to navigate it."
