Actor Bruce Willis’ dementia diagnosis was not just a heartbreaking moment for his family but for the entire world. Fans who adore the actor mourned the news that meant he would be stepping back from acting.
Now, almost four years after the family first revealed his diagnosis, Emma Heming Willis is giving fans another update. Keep reading to learn more.
In 2022, the Willis family shared that Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects how a person communicates with others.
A year after the initial diagnosis, Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
According to the Mayo Clinic, FTD is “an umbrella term for a group of brain diseases that mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.” These areas are linked to personality, behavior, and language.
FTD typically affects people at a younger age compared to Alzheimer’s disease, which is usually diagnosed between 40 and 65 years old. At the time of his diagnosis, Willis was 67.
The actor’s wife, Emma, has been very open about the family’s experience with the diagnosis. She regularly shares updates about how he is doing.
She recently appeared on Cameron Oaks Rogers’ The Unexpected Journey podcast, where she spoke about Bruce Willis. She said her husband is not aware that he has dementia and has “never connected the dots,” which she considers a blessing.
“I think that’s like the blessing and the curse of this, that he never connected the dots that he had this disease, and I’m really happy about that,” she said.
She added, “I’m really happy that he doesn’t know about it.”
When host Cameron asked her about lucid moments — “When you’re with Bruce, do you ever tap into this moment where you feel like it’s still him because he knows who you are?” — Emma responded:
“Yeah, he’s still very much present in his body. His disease, for the most part, is a slow progression. So we have progressed along with him. We have adapted along with him.”
She clarified further, “When someone says to me, ‘Does Bruce still know who you are?’ — yes, he does, because he doesn’t have Alzheimer’s. He has FTD.”
For those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, early symptoms often include memory impairment, but that is not typically the case with FTD. However, as FTD advances, memory issues can worsen.
Emma continued, “He has a way of connecting with me and our children that might not be the same as you would connect with your loved one, but it’s still very beautiful.”
She added, “It’s still very meaningful. It’s just — it’s just different. You just learn how to adapt.”
