Emma Heming Willis Says They’re ‘Doing the Best We Can’ amid Bruce Willis’ Dementia Struggle
Emma Heming Willis Says They’re ‘Doing the Best We Can’ amid Bruce Willis’ Dementia Struggle
Vanessa EtienneWed, May 27, 2026 at 5:03 PM UTC
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Bruce Willis and Emma Heming attend the "Glass" New York Premiere at SVA Theater on January 15, 2019 in New York City.
Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty
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Emma Heming Willis said their family is doing the best they can while managing Bruce Willis' frontotemporal dementia
She shared how caregiving for Bruce inspired her brain health brand, Make Time Wellness
She emphasized the importance of self-care for caregivers and raising awareness about women's brain health
Emma Heming Willis is sharing an update on husband Bruce Willis.
On Wednesday, May 27, the model and entrepreneur, 47, appeared on TODAY and briefly spoke about her husband as the family manages his ongoing struggle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
“You know, we're doing well,” she told Savannah Guthrie. “My husband is supported and loved and we're doing the best we can under the circumstances.”
As a caregiver for Bruce, Emma said one of the things she quickly realized was how vital it is to make sure she remains healthy herself, which inspired her growing women's brain health brand, Make Time Wellness.
During the morning show, she noted that 1 in 5 women will get Alzheimer's disease, compared to 1 in 10 men, and stressed the importance of having conversations about brain health.
“What I've learned is that it's so important to care for ourselves and if we're not caring for ourselves, how can we care for the people that we love in our lives? So it's really important to prioritize our health, to prioritize our brain health,” she said. “There's actually actionable things we can do today to support our brain tomorrow.”
Bruce Willis and Emma Heming Willis
Credit: Theo Wargo/Getty
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Earlier this year, Emma revealed that Bruce, 71, was moved to a second home due to the progression of his FTD.
“It was one of the hardest decisions. It did not come easy,” Emma told Cameron Oaks Rogers on the Jan. 28 episode of his Conversations with Cam podcast. “Caregivers are faced with really hard decisions and we have to do what is the best for our family, what's the safest for our person.”
Ultimately, concern for Mabel Ray, 14, and Evelyn Penn, 12, the daughters she shares with the actor, impacted the decision, she said.
“Bruce wouldn't want his two young daughters to be clouded by his disease. I know that,” she explained. “They weren't having sleepovers, play dates. We weren't inviting people over … it was a really hard time.”
The Die Hard star's family announced that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, in 2023. It's a catch-all term for a group of brain disorders that cause the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain to atrophy, which creates speech issues, emotional problems and changes in personality. Other symptoms can include loss of motor skills — problems walking, swallowing or muscle spasms. It's a progressive disease, and it is the most common form of dementia for people under 60.
For Bruce, he's “still very much present in his body,” Emma explained, adding that as his dementia has progressed, “we have progressed along with him. We've adapted along with him.”
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