Bruce Willis lives separately amid dementia battle, wife Emma Heming calls it 'one of the hardest decisions'

Bruce Willis may have stepped back from the spotlight, but his family remains at the centre of his world. In the ABC special Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, Emma Heming Willis reveals how the family has adapted to life with Willis's frontotemporal dementia. The actor was diagnosed with the progressive brain disorder that impacts behaviour, language and movement in 2022.

“He now lives in a nearby single-story home with a 24-hour health team,” Emma tells Diane Sawyer. “It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make, but Bruce would want the girls in a home tailored to their needs, not his.”

The couple, married since 2009, share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, while Willis is also father to Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, from his previous marriage to Demi Moore. Emma says the new home allows Willis's friends and family to visit freely and keeps the space full of “love, warmth, care, and laughter.”

She adds that seeing Willis friends continue to show up “brings life and fun” into his days. “We are there a lot,” she notes. “It’s our second home, so the girls have their things there. It’s been beautiful to see that.”

Despite the challenges, Emma emphasises that Willis remains “still very mobile” and in “really great health overall.” Yet, the neurological disease continues to affect his communication. “The language is going,” she says. “We’ve learned to adapt… and we have a way of communicating with him, just a different way.”

Emma finds solace in the glimpses of the Willis they all know and love: “It’s his laugh, right? He has such a hearty laugh. Sometimes you see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk, and I just get transported.”