Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, got emotional discussing the “moments” she sees evidence of the actor’s true self amid his battle with dementia.
The 49-year-old model and wife of the “Die Hard” star, 70, opened up on Tuesday’s episode of “Good Morning America” about the times she catches glimpses of the man she fell in love with.
“It’s his laugh, right? He has such a hearty laugh. And sometimes you’ll see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk,” she said, beginning to tear up. “I just get transported. And it’s just hard to see that. Because as quickly as those moments appear [snaps]… then it goes. And it’s hard. But I’m grateful. I’m grateful that my husband is still very much here.”
Willis’ family announced in early 2022 that he would retire from acting due to aphasia, which affects a sufferer’s ability to communicate. Nearly a year later, they revealed he’d been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which affects language and empathy. There are no known treatments.
Heming Willis, who penned “The Unexpected Journey” about her experiences caregiving for Willis, shared with Diane Sawyer that the “Pulp Fiction” actor “is still very mobile” and in “great overall health” despite his struggles.
“It’s just his brain that is failing him. … The language is going. We’ve learned to adapt. And we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a different way,” Heming Willis said of their family, which includes the two young daughters they welcomed following their 2009 nuptials, as well as Willis’ three older daughters he shares with Demi Moore.
Heming Willis revealed that, prior to her husband’s diagnoses, she noticed something was off when the usually “very talkative and very engaged” man “was just a little more quiet.” She also said he had gone from being “very warm and affectionate” to “a little removed, very cold, not like Bruce.”
Back in January, Heming Willis gave a rare glimpse at life with the actor amid their new normal, when she shared a photo of him thanking first responders amid the Los Angeles wildfires.
