Bruce Willis' wife shares 'hardest decision' she had to make after his dementia diagnosis

Bruce Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, has revealed one of the 'hardest' things she's had to do while the actor has been suffering from dementia.

Now 70, the Hollywood legend starred in one hit film after the other over the course of several decades.

Best known for his role as John McClane in the Die Hard series, the star officially retired in 2022 after it was revealed that he was diagnosed with aphasia.

This affected his cognitive abilities, according to his daughter Rumer, meaning he simply couldn't continue down the acting route.

However, in February 2023, Willis was sadly diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a condition which affects the front and sides of the brain.

The family have kept fans updated with the Looper star's condition, but his wife Emma, 47, has now spoken about a difficult decision she had to make recently.

Bruce has been married to Emma since 2009 (Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Emma previously opened up on the noticeable effects that the condition had on her husband, such as his change from being talkative to becoming a 'little more quiet', adding that he even became quite 'cold'.

In a new interview with ABC News, she spoke about putting Willis in a 'second home' so that he could live with 24-hour care, and how it has been for the family.

“It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make so far,” Emma admitted.

She added: “But I knew first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters, you know, he wouldn’t want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”

Emma explained that she and his daughters are there all the time, describing it as 'a house that is filled with love and warmth and care and laughter'.

She also said that the actor is still walking and seemingly unaware of his condition, saying that he 'is in really great health overall', as 'it’s just his brain that is failing him'.

When asked if Willis still remembers his family, Emma answered: “I know he does. When we are with him, he lights up.

“He’s holding our hands, we’re kissing him, we’re hugging him, [and] he is reciprocating, you know, he is into it. And so that’s all I need.”

Willis' family have kept a close relationship with him (Instagram/Rumer Willis)

Speaking on the news show, Emma said she noticed changes in his behaviour, such as losing the enjoyment of taking his kids to school.

“When the family would get together, he would kind of just melt a little bit,” she also pointed out.

According to Mayo Clinic, frontotemporal dementia is an 'umbrella term' for brain diseases which 'mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain'. This can impact someone's behaviour, language, and personality.

While first diagnosed with aphasia, which causes people to lose words, it would lead to his dementia diagnosis.

Willis has two daughters with his current wife and three more with ex-wife Demi Moore, all of whom make the effort to visit him in his new 'second home'.

Emma admitted that she told her daughters of their father's condition 'pretty quickly', ensuring they didn't think 'that he wasn’t paying attention to them'.

If you've been affected by dementia or Alzheimer's and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact the Alzheimer’s Society via 0333 150 3456 or visit their website for more information.