Bruce Willis' wife explains subtle symptoms that lead to star being diagnosed with dementia

Emma Heming Willis, the wife of famous actor Bruce Willis, has provided an update on his dementia and outlined the early changes in his behaviour before he was diagnosed.

The Die Hard star's family released a statement in 2023 announcing that Willis had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia following an aphasia diagnosis the previous year.

Willis had already retired from acting at that point, and since then his family have provided regular updates on his condition and how he's doing.

They've said they're transparent about the impact frontotemporal dementia is having on him because 'it's who we are as a family' and they believe it's 'really important for us to spread awareness' in the hopes others going through the same hard times will be helped by knowing more.

Sitting down with ABC, Emma provided an update on her husband's condition, saying he was 'still very mobile' and 'in really great health overall', and the problem was 'it’s just his brain that is failing him'.

His family noticed early signs (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for goop)

She explained that her husband's 'language is going', but the Willis family has adapted so they can keep communicating with him in a 'different way'.

Emma also spoke about the early changes in her husband's behaviour before his diagnosis, explaining that the actor appeared to be losing some words from his speech, a stutter he hadn't had since childhood returned and he wasn't as engaged in the lives of his family as he used to be.

She said: "For someone who was very talkative and very engaged he was just a little more quiet and when the family would get together he would just melt a little bit.

"He felt a little removed, very cold. Not like Bruce, who is very warm and affectionate. To go in the complete opposite of that was alarming and scary."

When asked if there were still days when Willis was 'Bruce again', Emma said it was 'not days, but we get moments'.

Emma Heming Willis said Bruce started getting less talkative and removed (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

However, she added that those moments could be particularly difficult, saying: "As quickly as those moments appear, then it goes. It’s hard.

"But I’m grateful. I’m grateful that my husband is still very much here."

Emma previously spoke on how Bruce's stutter returning was one of the early signs, saying that he'd had it as a child and he got into acting after realising he could learn a script and recite it without stuttering.

She said she never would have thought it returning could have been a sign of dementia and added that her husband's condition had been 'misdiagnosed, misunderstood or missed' on several occasions.

The couple have two children together, while Willis has three other kids from a previous marriage to Demi Moore who remains a presence in his life and said they'd managed to 'co-parent with love'.