Hollywood legend Bruce Willis is now living in a separate, specially adapted home with full-time carers, as his family continues to grapple with the devastating impact of his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.
A New Reality for the Willis Family
The Die Hard star, who turned 70 this year, received his diagnosis in February 2023. Since then, he has retreated from public life, with his health becoming the central focus for his loved ones. His wife, Emma Heming Willis, 47, recently confirmed the difficult decision to move him into a single-storey property with a dedicated care team.
"It was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make," Emma told The Sunday Times. She explained that the move, while born of sadness, was necessary. "Among the sadness and discomfort, it was the right move - for him, for our girls, for me. Ultimately, I could get back to being his wife. And that’s such a gift."
Emotional Insights from His Daughters
The family's grief is a daily reality. Willis's eldest daughter, Rumer Willis, 35, broke down during a recent Instagram Q&A while discussing her father's condition. She revealed the painful truth that he does not always recognise her.
"The truth is that anybody with FTD is not doing great, but he’s doing okay in terms of somebody who is dealing with frontotemporal dementia," Rumer said tearfully. She added that conventional measures of wellbeing no longer apply, but she finds solace in their moments together.
"I’m so grateful that when I go over there and I give him a hug, whether he recognises me or not, that he can feel the love I’ve given him and I can feel it back from him," she shared.
Emma has also spoken openly about the effect on their two younger daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. "They grieve, they miss their dad so much," she told Vogue Australia. "He’s missing important milestones, that’s tough for them."
Navigating Grief and Caregiver Strain
Emma has been candid about her own emotional journey, describing a constant companion of grief. "I’ve had to learn to walk alongside the grief. It’s always with me," she confessed. Her role as a caregiver has also taken a significant toll, prompting a health wake-up call.
She recalled a stark warning from Willis's neurologist: approximately 30 per cent of caregivers die before the people they are caring for. "I really needed to hear that to wake up," Emma said on the HealSquad podcast, emphasising the critical need for self-care.
Despite the challenges, the family finds moments of celebration. On December 30, Emma marked their 18th wedding anniversary with a touching Instagram tribute, calling Willis her "perfect stranger" and expressing her enduring luck in knowing "this kind of love."
Willis, who also shares daughters Scout and Tallulah with ex-wife Demi Moore, was recently spotted on a rare beach outing in Los Angeles, smiling while holding his carer's hand for support. His condition, frontotemporal dementia, primarily affects the brain's frontal and temporal lobes, impacting behaviour, personality, and language more than memory in its early stages.
