Emma Heming Says Husband Bruce Willis Lives in Separate Home ‘Tailored’ to His Needs amid Dementia Diagnosis

Emma Heming Willis has opened up about one of the most difficult choices she’s had to face since husband Bruce Willis’ diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Bruce, 70, and Emma, 47, married in March 2009. In 2022, she revealed that Bruce had been diagnosed with aphasia. Less than a year later, doctors confirmed he was living with FTD, a degenerative brain disorder that can cause speech difficulties, changes in personality, and loss of motor skills. Throughout it all, Emma has remained by his side.

In the ABC special Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, which aired on Aug. 26, Emma shared with Diane Sawyer that Bruce now resides in a separate home.

“I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters,” Emma said of Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11. “He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”

Bruce and Emma welcomed Mabel in April 2012 and Evelyn in May 2014. He is also father to three adult daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore, 62.

According to Sawyer, the family made the transition “some time ago,” moving Bruce into a one-story home nearby that could better accommodate both him and his round-the-clock care team.

The decision followed a period when Emma began gradually isolating their family, as noise and activity often worsened Bruce’s condition. She even stopped hosting playdates and sleepovers for the girls.

“I didn’t know if parents would feel comfortable leaving their kid at our home,” she explained. “I isolated our whole family, and that was by design…That was a hard time.”

Relocating Bruce has allowed friends and family to visit more freely. Emma explained that she and the girls spend time there daily, often starting their mornings with him and returning in the evenings.

“We’re there a lot,” she said. “It’s our second home, so the girls have their things there. It’s a house filled with love and warmth and care and laughter. It’s been beautiful to see how many of Bruce’s friends continue to show up for him—they bring life and fun.”

Sawyer, who has interviewed Bruce many times over the years, was invited into the home without cameras and described him as looking “happy” and “healthy.”

“Bruce is still very mobile,” Emma noted. “He’s in really great health overall—it’s just his brain that is failing him.”

She added: “The language is going, and we’ve learned to adapt. We have a way of communicating with him—it’s just different.”

Emma’s new book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, will be released on Sept. 9 and is available now for preorder.

Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.