Emma Heming Willis struggles with ‘guilt’ amid Bruce Willis’ health battle
Emma Heming Willis talks about the ‘guilt’ she feels about having access to ‘resources’ with her husband Bruce Willis’ fight against dementia.
“If I can take a walk to clear my head, it’s not lost on me that not all care partners can do that,” Heming Willis, 45, wrote in a Saturday, Nov. 11 article for Maria Shriver’s Sunday paper. “If what I share about our family’s journey gets the attention of the press, I know there are many thousands of untold, unheard stories, all deserving of compassion and care.”
In acknowledging her privilege, Heming Willis insisted that it is “important” for her to be an “advocate” for those who “don’t have the time, energy or resources to stand up for themselves.” She noted that she remains open about her struggles, hoping it will help others “feel seen and understood.”
“I want people to know that when I hear from another family affected by FTD, I hear the same story of grief, loss and immense sadness from our family in their family,” she added.
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An honest reflection. Emma Heming Willis has been open about the ups and downs of supporting her husband, Bruce Willis, on his health journey following his aphasia diagnosis. “This has been the summer of self-discovery: finding new hobbies, getting out of my comfort zone and staying active,” the model wrote via Instagram […]
The entrepreneur explained that hope is “everything” when it comes to dealing with a family illness. “I feel so much more hopeful today than I did after Bruce was first diagnosed,” she said. “I now understand this disease better and am now connected to an incredible community of support. I am hopeful that I have found a new purpose – which I admittedly would never have sought out – by using the spotlight to help and empower others.
In March 2022, Heming Willis and Willis’ ex-wife, Demi Moore, revealed that Willis would be taking a step back from the spotlight as he battled aphasia. Earlier this year, the family announced that the actor had received a “more specific diagnosis”: frontotemporal dementia. “Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope may change in the coming years,” they wrote via Instagram in February.
Heming Willis – who shares daughters Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, 9, with the That hard star – has often been candid about her ups and downs and continues to help her husband through his health struggles. Appears in a September episode of the Today show as part of World Frontotemporal Dementia Awareness Week, she revealed that it was both a “blessing and [a] curse” to shed light on Willis’ condition.
“It doesn’t make it any less painful, but just the fact that you accept it and know what’s happening to Bruce just makes it a little bit easier,” she said.
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Follow her Today appearance, Bruce’s daughters Tallulah Willis29, and Scout Willis, 32, took to social media to praise their stepmother for her strength. (Bruce shares daughters Tallulah, Scout and Rumer Willis35, with Moore, 61. The couple was married for more than a decade before splitting in 2000.)
“I really couldn’t be more proud of @emmahemingwillis for being willing to be in the public eye (even though it’s terrifying!!!) to share our family’s story in service of spreading awareness about FTD,” Scout gushed via her Instagram Story at the time. “Emma, you are such a champion for this cause and you inspire me EVERY F-KING DAY.”
The unwavering support is what is helping the family get through it, a source exclusively revealed We weekly in April 2022, noting that Bruce is “blessed to have them” around. “They all pull together, and that’s what matters.”
The relationship timeline of Bruce Willis and wife Emma Heming Willis
Through thick and thin! Bruce Willis and his wife, Emma Heming Willis, have been by each other’s side since meeting in the early 2000s. The duo met in 2007 while training at their mutual trainer’s gym. A year later, the model accompanied the Die Hard actor on the red carpet for his premiere […]
Heming Willis, meanwhile, wrote in her Sunday newspaper article that hopes that despite the more difficult days, she and her loved ones will continue to “find joy in the little things” and “in coming together to celebrate all the moments life has to offer.”
“I know I still have so much to learn about FTD, this community and how research into the disease is evolving. But I’m finding my footing,” she said. “As much as I regret this experience every day – as I know so many others do – I also know that it has made me stronger than I ever thought possible.”