Emma Heming gives update on Bruce Willis' dementia

Emma Heming has shared a deeply personal update on Bruce Willis’ health, revealing that the actor is not aware he is living with frontotemporal dementia. 

Speaking on Cameron Rogers’ Conversations with Cam podcast, Willis’ wife explained that her husband never connected his symptoms to a medical condition and believes his behavior is completely normal.

When asked whether Willis understands his diagnosis, Heming made it clear that it isn’t denial. 

Instead, she described it as the brain’s way of coping with the illness. 

“I think that’s the blessing and the curse of this, Bruce never tapped in — he never connected the dots that he has this disease,” she said. 

She later added that, as difficult as the situation is, she finds comfort in that reality, saying she’s glad he doesn’t know about it.

Willis first stepped away from acting in 2022 after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects the ability to understand or express language. 

The following year, his family shared that his condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia, a form of dementia that commonly affects people under 60 and is often linked to personality changes, obsessive behaviours and speech difficulties.

Heming clarified during the podcast that Willis still recognises the people around him, noting that his condition is dementia and not Alzheimer’s disease. 

She explained that daily life now centers on adjustment and acceptance. “You just learn how to adapt and meet them where they are at,” she said.

The couple, who share three children, had struggled with communication issues for years, which Heming now understands were early signs of something more serious. 

She admitted that getting answers wasn’t easy and that she had to push forward on her own to secure a diagnosis. 

“It’s really hard to know when Bruce’s disease started and where he started to end,” she said, adding that she may never have a clear answer.

Heming also shared that many couples experience a similar journey before a diagnosis is finally reached. 

She explained that it can feel like a marriage is unraveling, sometimes even leading to thoughts of divorce, before everything suddenly makes sense once a medical explanation is found. 

She noted that frontotemporal dementia can take a long time to diagnose and is often mistaken for depression, bipolar disorder or even a midlife crisis.

In August 2025, Heming spoke with Diane Sawyer about another difficult change in their lives, revealing that she and Willis no longer live together.

At the time, she explained that the decision was made with their daughters’ well-being in mind. 

“Bruce would want that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”

Through her recent comments, Heming continues to offer a rare and honest look into life with dementia, focusing on compassion, adaptation and doing what feels right for their family during an incredibly challenging chapter.