Bruce Willis’ wife has opened up about why the actor is now living apart from her and their two daughters after being diagnosed with dementia. He stepped back from acting in 2022 and the following year his family revealed he had frontotemporal degeneration, a rare form of dementia that affects language and behavior. There is no cure and millions of people worldwide are living with some form of dementia.
Emma Heming Willis explained that Bruce moved into another home away from the children, who are 13 and 11. She said: “Bruce would want that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”
She admitted it was one of the hardest choices they had to make as a family. Right now, Bruce is living in a one-story house with a team of caregivers as the disease moves forward.
His wife said: “When we go over, either we’re outside, or we’re watching a movie…it’s just really about being able to be there, and connect with Bruce.” She added: “It is a house that is filled with love, and warmth, 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 him, and they bring in life, and fun.”
She also talked about some of the early signs she noticed. One of the first things was how his routines changed. She said: “He would always love taking the girls to school. And then those school runs just started to not happen as much.”
Instead of talking or sharing like before, Bruce would sit quietly. She explained that he had always been social and chatty, but he grew quieter and seemed to fade back during family gatherings.
Another sign was his speech. He had once dealt with a stutter when he was young, something he had spoken about in the past. Emma recalled: “I started noticing that Bruce’s stutter did reappear. I definitely started noticing it rev up a little bit more.” It was one of the changes that showed how the disease was beginning to take hold in his life.
