One question apparently many people ask her: Does Bruce Willis (71) even recognize his wife anymore? Emma Heming Willis (47) has a clear answer to that. On the podcast "The Bossticks", she made it clear on Monday that the "Stirb langsam" star very much knows who she is.
"When people ask: 'You know, does he still remember you?', then yes, because he doesn't have Alzheimer's disease, he has FTD", said the 47-year-old, who has been married to Bruce Willis since 2009. "I think it's a common misconception that when people think of dementia, they immediately think of memory loss." The actor was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, followed by a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) the following year. Emma Heming-Willis emphasizes the distinction from the much better-known Alzheimer's disease. "It's different from Alzheimer's. While Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, FTD is the most common form of dementia in people under 60."
The now 71-year-old Willis, known from films like "Pulp Fiction", "The Sixth Sense", and the "Stirb langsam" series, ended his acting career after the diagnosis. His wife has since been publicly advocating for him and for family caregivers.
"Permanent State of Grief"
Heming-Willis openly describes how stressful everyday life is with the progressive disease. Family caregivers of dementia patients are in constant grief. "I think what you experience with any form of dementia is that it just takes everything away. These diseases keep demanding more - sometimes very slowly - and you're constantly grieving different losses. So you're in a permanent state of grief." By now, she's more practiced at dealing with it than before, even though ultimately one can only witness the situation and go along with it.
Disease Remains Hidden From Him
Already in January, Heming-Willis had explained on the podcast "Conversations With Cam" that her husband is not even aware of his condition. Responsible for this is a neurological phenomenon called anosognosia, in which the brain can no longer recognize what is happening to it. This is not denial, but rather part of the disease itself. Willis never realized he was ill - which, according to her own words, she is grateful for.
