Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, has opened up about the difficult reality of the actor’s ongoing battle with frontotemporal dementia. In a recent interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, she revealed that while the 70-year-old is still physically healthy and mobile, his ability to use language is slipping away.

“Bruce is in really great health overall,” Heming Willis said. “It’s just his brain that is failing him. The language is going. We’ve learned to adapt, and we have a way of communicating with him, which is just different now.”

Key Points:

• Bruce Willis was first diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, which led to his retirement from acting.

• A year later, doctors confirmed frontotemporal dementia.

• Heming Willis described his early symptoms as “alarming,” noting he became more distant and less talkative.

• Despite the challenges, she says the family still sees “moments of Bruce,” especially through his hearty laugh and warm personality.

• Heming Willis’ upcoming book, Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, will be released on 9 September.

Reflecting on the early days of his diagnosis, Heming Willis admitted she felt overwhelmed and panicked. “I just remember hearing the words and not hearing anything else. It was like freefalling,” she said.

The couple, who married in 2009 and share two daughters, continue to face the illness together as a family, along with Willis’ three daughters from his marriage to Demi Moore.

Even with the progression of the disease, Heming Willis said moments of recognition and joy remain. “Sometimes you’ll get that twinkle in his eye or that spark. And I just get transported,” she shared. “But as quickly as those moments appear, they go.”