Hollywood icon Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis has shared a heartbreaking tribute to the actor to mark Father’s Day as she shared her wishes for things to be different
Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming has penned a heartfelt message to mark Father’s Day as she shared her pain. The Hollywood icon, 70, has taken a step away from acting and the spotlight following his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and aphasia diagnosis.
In February 2023, his family made the heartbreaking announcement the Die Hard and Pulp Fiction actor had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a rare form of the illness, at the age of 67. Prior to this, Bruce had been diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that causes speaking or the ability to understand language is impaired.
Since then he has lived out of the spotlight while he is cared for by his family, including wife of 16 years Emma, ex-wife Demi Moore and the three grown up daughters he shares with Demi – Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and 31-year-old Tallulah. He also has two younger daughters Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10, with Emma.
To mark Father’s Day, Emma shared a touching message alongside a photo of Bruce cuddling one of their little girls. She penned: “Happy Father’s Day to all the dads living with disability or disease, showing up in the ways they can and to the children who show up for them.
“What Bruce teaches our girls goes far beyond words. Resilience, unconditional love, and the quiet strength in simply being present. This photo says so much. Love deepens. It adapts. It stays, even when everything else changes.”
Emma then shared her own feelings as she added: “But to be fair to myself, these symbolic days stir up a lot. I’m profoundly sad today. I wish, with every cell in my body, that things could be different for him and lighter for our family.
“As they say in our FTD community, “It is what it is.” And while that might sound dismissive, to me, it’s not. It grounds me. It helps me return to the acceptance of what is and not fight this every step of the way like I used to. Today, let’s celebrate the badass dads, those who are here, and those we carry with us. Onward.”
Just last week, Emma revealed how Bruce continued to act despite his diagnosis. In her upcoming book The Unexpected Journey, which is set to be released on September 9, Emma shares intimate details about the measures that were taken to keep Bruce in front of the camera while his cognitive abilities declined.
According to reports, some of the tactics directors used included shortening his dialogue and feeding him lines via an earpiece, which was discreetly operated by a close friend on set.
These behind-the-scenes accommodations allowed the Die Hard legend to complete roles in films like Assassin (2023) and the Detective Knight trilogy (2022–2023).
“I really wrote the book that I wish someone had handed me the day we got our diagnosis with no hope, no direction … not much. Today life looks different for me and our family because I was able to put support into place,” she said. “This isn’t a memoir, it’s a self-help guide for caregivers, written to hold space for our heartbreak and our healing.”
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Dementia UK.
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