Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, explained how much awareness the actor has about his dementia battle.
“Bruce never, never tapped in,” Emma, 47, said during the Wednesday, January 28, episode of the “Conversations With Cam” podcast, explaining that Bruce, 70, “never connected the dots” about his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.
Emma noted that it has been for the better, adding, “I think that’s like the blessing and the curse of this, is that he never connected the dots that he had this disease, and I’m really happy about that. I’m really happy that he doesn’t know about it.”
Bruce has anosognosia, which the Cleveland Clinic defines as the brain being unable to recognize one or more other health conditions a person is experiencing. It is common in people with mental health disorders.
Emma explained that Bruce’s “brain can’t identify what is happening to it,” noting that people who have anosognosia “think this is their normal.”
“People think this might be denial, like they don’t want to go to the doctor because they’re like, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ Actually, this is the anosognosia that comes into play,” she continued. “It’s not denial. It’s just that their brain is changing. This is a part of the disease.”
According to Emma, Bruce is “still very much present in his body” despite the progressive nature of his dementia. “We have progressed along with him,” she said. “We’ve adapted along with him.”
Emma, who shares daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, with Bruce, reflected on how their family has adjusted. (Bruce also shares daughters Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, with ex-wife Demi Moore.)
“He has a way of connecting with me, our children that might not be the same as you would connect with your loved one. But it’s still very beautiful,” Emma said on Tuesday. “It’s still very meaningful. It’s just — it’s just different. You just learn how to adapt.”
Bruce’s family originally revealed in March 2022 that he was diagnosed with the language disorder aphasia. They later announced that he is battling frontotemporal dementia.
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” read a statement shared in 2023. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.”
While caring for her husband, Emma has been candid about how the couple’s lives have changed, including the choice to no longer live together.
“These are hard decisions. These are impossible — I’m getting choked up thinking about it. They’re impossible decisions. This is not how I envisioned our life,” Emma said during the End Well 2025 conference in Los Angeles in November 2025. “I had to make the best and safest decision for our family and I knew by being honest and open about it that it would be met with a lot of judgement.”
Emma clapped back at critics who questioned her and Bruce living in separate homes, emphasizing that she has received support from Bruce’s family.
“Because they know, they’re in it and I’ve got this beautiful blended family,” she continued. “I also have Bruce’s mother who is in her 90s. I have Bruce’s brother and sister and cousins and they have been so loving and supportive and nonjudgmental.”
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