Bruce Willis’ dementia led to ‘marital issues’ with wife Emma

Emma Heming Willis has revealed that her husband Bruce Willis’ early battle with frontotemporal dementia led to “marital issues” between the couple.

During a sit-down interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC Tuesday night, Emma opened up about how the “Die Hard” star grew “removed” and “cold” shortly before he was officially diagnosed in March 2022.

“It was not like Bruce, who is very warm and affectionate,” Emma, 47, said. “To go in the complete opposite of that was alarming and scary.”

Their marital issues became so “crazy” that Emma began to wonder how long their relationship could last.

“I didn’t understand what was happening,” she shared. “I just thought: Can I remain in a marriage that doesn’t feel like what we had? That doesn’t feel like a marriage anymore?”

“I did have these conversations with Bruce,” Emma continued. “Like, what is happening? Is everything okay? Are you okay? And he would always just dismiss it.”

“But it just got very bumpy and very confusing,” she said.

Elsewhere during the new interview with Sawyer, Emma spoke about Willis’ physical condition.

“Bruce is still very mobile,” Emma told Sawyer, 79. “Bruce is in really great health overall, you know.”

“It’s just his brain that is failing him,” she added while promoting her new book, “The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path.”

Emma and Willis, 70, tied the knot in 2009. They share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11.

The advocate revealed that now, the “Assassin” alum’s “language is going” and their family has “learned to adapt” to communicate with him in “a different way.”

Sawyer inquired if there are “days that it would be Bruce again,” to which Emma replied: “We still get those days. Not days, but we get moments.”

“It’s his laugh, right? Like, he has such, like, a hearty laugh,” the actress continued. “And, you know, sometimes you’ll see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk, and, you know, I just get, like, transported.”

Emma detailed through tears, “And it’s just hard to see, because as quickly as those moments appear, then it goes. It’s hard.”

Despite the rocky journey, the author noted she is “grateful.”

“I’m grateful that my husband is still very much here.”

Emma also looked back on the moment doctors told Willis about his diagnosis.

She recounted, “To leave there with nothing, just nothing, with a diagnosis I couldn’t pronounce, I couldn’t understand what it was.”

“I was so panicked. I remember hearing it and not hearing anything else. I was free-falling,” recalled Emma.

The mom-of-two also said she doesn’t think Willis “ever really connected the dots” to be able to understand what doctors told him.

Before officially being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, Emma admitted Willis was exhibiting subtle signs of something being off.

“For someone who was very talkative and very engaged, he was just a little more quiet,” she shared. “When the family would get together, he would just melt a little bit.”

“It felt a little removed, very cold, not like Bruce, who was very warm and affectionate,” Emma continued. “To go the complete opposite of that was alarming and scary.”

Willis’ entire family, including Emma, Mabel, Evelyn, Willis’ ex-wife Demi Moore, as well as kids Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, announced that he’d been diagnosed with aphasia in Feburary 2023.

“Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis,” the message posted to Instagram read. “In the spirit of that, we wanted to give you an update about our beloved husband, father and friend since we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing.”

In March, Rumer gave a health update on her dad as the family celebrated his 70th birthday.

During an impromptu Q&A with fans on social media, the 37-year-old said her dad was “doing great, thank you for asking.”

“It is actually his 70th birthday tomorrow so please wish my papa a big happy birthday,” Rumer added.

Meanwhile, Moore, 62, who was married to Willis from 1987 to 2000, has also been vocal about dealing with the Hollywood icon’s diagnosis.

“You know, I’ve said this before. The disease is what the disease is. And I think you have to be in real deep acceptance of what that is,” she said in October at the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival. “But for where he’s at, he is stable.”

“What I always encourage is to just meet them where they’re at. When you’re holding on to what was, I think it’s a losing game,” Moore added. “But when you show up to meet them where they’re at, there is great beauty and sweetness.”