MOVIE NEWS – Bruce Willis’ wife says it is “hard to know” whether the award-winning actor is aware that he has previously been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

Emma Heming Willis sat down with Today show co-host Hoda Kotb on Monday to report on the condition of Die Hard star Bruce Willis. As well as sharing his journey as a “care partner” and raising awareness of the condition at the start of World Frontotemporal Dementia Week.

“It was a blessing and a curse to finally understand what was happening to him so I can be into the acceptance of what it is,” Heming Willis, 45, said.

“It doesn’t make it any less painful, but just being in the know of what is happening to Bruce makes it a little bit easier.”

There is no treatment or cure for the disease. Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration CEO Susan Dickinson said during the segment that genetically, it can be inherited in 20-25% of people, but it can also be “sporadic”. This means that health professionals don’t know what causes the condition.

Willis, 68, was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022. It affects a person’s communication, especially speech. In February, Willis’ family announced that his condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Bruce Willis’ diagnosis is not “stigma or shame”

Heming Willis was married in 2009 to the superstar of more than 100 films, including “Armageddon”, “The Sixth Sense” and most recently “Paradise City” and “Assassin”. They have two daughters together: Mabel Ray, 11, and Evelyn Penn, 9.

Willis also has three adult daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore: Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Willis.

Heming Willis said theirs is “a very honest and open” household – “I wouldn’t want there to be any stigma or shame for their dad’s diagnosis or any form of dementia” – and noted how her husband’s condition has impacted their daughters.

“He is the gift that keeps on giving. Love, patience, resilience. So much that he’s teaching me,” she said. “And it’s teaching (our kids) so much. How to care, how to love. It’s a beautiful thing amongst the sadness.”

Source: Today