Emma Heming Willis, wife of retired US actor Bruce Willis, has shared an update about his well-being after his dementia diagnosis.
The ‘Die Hard’ star was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a condition marked by progressive nerve cell loss, in February 2023.
The disease affects the frontal lobes of the brain, often leading to early symptoms like changes in personality, behavior, and language difficulties.
In an interview with ‘Good Morning America,’ Emma stated that while her 69-year-old husband is physically healthy, the disease is relentlessly impacting his cognitive abilities.
She described how the family has learned to navigate the challenges by developing new methods of communication.
Bruce is still very mobile. Overall, he is in good health. It’s just his brain that’s failing him, and the language is going, she said.
We have learned to adapt and now have a way of communicating with him differently.
We still get some moments of him, like his laugh. He has such a hearty laugh, and sometimes you can see the twinkle in his eyes or that smirk — but it goes very quickly.
It’s just hard to see how those moments fade so quickly when they appear, but I’m grateful that my husband is still very much here.
Emma also recalled the initial, alarming signs that preceded the diagnosis. She noted a stark change in the typically talkative and engaged actor, who began to grow quiet, withdrawn, and uncharacteristically cold during family time.
For someone who is usually very talkative and engaged, he became a little quieter and seemed to withdraw when the family was together, she added.
He felt somewhat removed, very cold — which was unlike him, as he had always been warm. Seeing him become the opposite of what he used to be was very alarming and scary.
Emma also revealed that her book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, which captures her husband’s diagnosis and her experience as his caregiver, will be launched on September 3.
