Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming is celebrating a sweet milestone in their relationship.
“18 years ago, he became my boyfriend,” the author, 47, penned on Instagram on Tuesday. “With one kiss on the top of my head, time stood still. I’m so lucky to know this kind of love 💙.”
Heming and Willis, 70, tied the knot in 2009. They share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11.
The actor was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, months before his family publicly shared that he was suffering from frontotemporal dementia.
Since the diagnosis, Heming has detailed their journey in order to help others going through similar situations. The mom of two has also been open about how Willis’ dementia led to “marital issues.”
Earlier this month, Heming penned a personal essay on her website about navigating the holidays amid Willis’ dementia.
“For me, the holidays carry memories of Bruce being at the center of it all,” she began. “He loved this time of year — the energy, the family time, the traditions. He was the pancake maker, the get-out-in-the-snow-with-the-kids guy, the steady presence moving through the house as the day unfolded. There was comfort in the routine of knowing exactly how the day would go, especially since I’m a creature of habit.”
As Heming put it, “Dementia doesn’t erase those memories. But it does create space between then and now. And that space can ache.”
She explained that grief during the holidays can come up at unexpected times.
“I find myself, harmlessly, cursing Bruce’s name while wrestling with the holiday lights or taking on tasks that used to be his,” Heming continued. “Not because I’m mad at him — never that — but because I miss the way he once led the holiday charge. Yes, he taught me well, but I’m still allowed to feel annoyed that this is one more reminder of how things have changed.”
The model and her children are “surrounded by images of what the holidays are supposed to look like.”
“Even when we know these images are curated, they can still create a sense of failure and extra loss when our reality doesn’t match. When dementia is part of your family, ‘normal’ becomes a moving target.”
She added, “For a long time, I wanted the holidays to remain exactly as they were, as if this might protect us from what was happening.”
Now, Heming is “learning that flexibility isn’t giving up. It’s adapting. It’s choosing compassion and reality over perfection. It’s understanding that meaning doesn’t live in the size of the gathering or the polish of the day. It lives in presence.”
In November, Rumer, 37, shared an update on Willis’ health struggles after an Instagram follower inquired about how he was doing.
“People always ask me this question, and I think it’s kind of a hard one to answer,” the actress replied. “Because the truth is, that anybody with FTD is not doing great. But he’s doing OK, in terms of somebody who’s dealing with frontotemporal dementia.”
“I’m so grateful that when I go over there, and I give him a hug,” Rumer detailed, “whether he recognizes me or not, that he can feel the love I’ve given him, and I can feel it back from him. That I still see a spark of him, and he can feel the love that I’m giving. So that feels really nice.”
The mom of one also shared how thankful she is to be able to take her daughter, Luetta, who is 24 months old, over to visit her father.
Meanwhile, after Willis’ diagnosis, the icon officially retired from acting.
“Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis,” his family posted to Instagram in 2023. “In the spirit of that, we wanted to give you an update about our beloved husband, father and friend since we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing.”
