Emma Heming got candid about the state of her relationship with her husband, Bruce Willis, before he received an official diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023. The duo, who married in 2009 and share two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn, faced marital troubles when Bruce's personality began to change and grow more combative. Emma opened up about the rough patch they endured while speaking on The Oprah Podcast, sharing that she did contemplate divorce at one point before seeking answers about his behavioral changes.
"Conversations we had, he wasn't recalling," the mom of two explained. "Our values just didn't seem to be matching anymore." When asked by Oprah if she had considered walking away from their marriage, Emma revealed that she "100 per cent" thought about divorcing the Die Hard star. "Because I just didn't understand how our relationship...We were so connected, so enmeshed, and yet all of a sudden, things just started falling apart," she said.
"I didn't understand the conversations we were having. We just weren't aligned, and I didn't know why. And he wasn't raising his hand about anything, and I did contemplate divorce." She added that the symptoms of FTD, which include loss of empathy, behavioral changes, difficulty communicating, and problems with balance and movement, had been present in Bruce for "a couple of years".
Finally, Emma sought help after realizing that "something wasn't right" with her husband. "I knew it was time. I needed to raise my hand and try and be the best advocate I could for my husband and speak to my doctor," the former model recalled, adding that it took a lot of "smoke and mirrors" to get him to agree to undergo testing.
Similarly, Emma shared in a Vanity Fair interview that her marriage was "crumbling" before she decided to ask for help from doctors. "I was very angry, very upset, very sad," she continued. "It was really hard for me to just separate what I was pissed at and who I was pissed at. I just wasn't in a good state of mind. And it wasn't good for Bruce, it wasn't good for our children, it wasn't good for anyone – especially not me."
© WireImageDespite living with grief and sadness over the connection she lost with Bruce amid his health battle, Emma shared that their relationship evolved into something new and beautiful. "It doesn't even feel like this 'husband and wife' thing," she told the publication. "We're almost past that. I don't know what you call this, but it's something else. I just feel very connected to him, and I don't know what that label would be. It's just deeper. He's my person."
© Pacific Press/LightRocket via GeEmma and Bruce first met in 2007 while at the gym, and the couple married in Turks and Caicos two years later. She is extremely close with Bruce's ex-wife, Demi Moore, and their three daughters, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah.
© Pacific Press2021
In some of Bruce's last films, crew members noticed a change in his behaviour on set and shared their concerns. During the filming of the 2021 film Midnight in the Switchgrass, prop master Alicia Haverland said in the ABC News documentary The Randall Scandal: "As the day progressed, you could tell that he (Bruce) was getting tired and he would start to clip the lines. I started to realize it wasn't clipping. I started to realize that what he was doing was actually forgetting what was being said to him.''
March 30, 2022
Bruce's family publicly released a statement saying: "To Bruce's amazing supporters, as a family, we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.'' Aphasia is a language disorder caused by brain damage that affects communication.
February 16, 2023
Bruce's wife, Emma Heming Willis, issues another statement on behalf of the family, sharing the progression of Bruce's condition: ''Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.'' The specific name of Bruce's diagnosis is Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).
2023–2024
Bruce's family, including ex-wife Demi Moore and current wife, actively raise awareness about FTD on social media platforms. Emma openly shares her experience on social media about dementia awareness and caregiver support. The family continues to share occasional updates and photos while respecting Bruce's privacy.
2025
Bruce is reportedly receiving care and is surrounded by close family, and public appearances are rare. The family continues advocating for FTD research and awareness to bring attention to the condition.
© InstagramThe Substance actress paid tribute to Emma in a touching Instagram post for International Women's Day, sharing insight into their close bond. "I #SeeHer as family who I am honored to call a friend. Our children are sisters, and yet there is no name for what our family connection is to one another," she wrote in 2021. "We are mothers united, sisters bonded on this crazy adventure of life."
