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Bruce Willis, 68, and his wife Emma Heming Willis, 45, have been married for over a decade.
In 2009, the "Die Hard" actor and the former model tied the knot and later welcomed their daughters Mabel and Evelyn. Willis shares his three older daughters — Rumer, Scout and Tallulah — with his ex-wife Demi Moore.
Since his aphasia diagnosis, which the family publicly shared in 2022, Heming Willis has taken on the role of caretaker. In February 2023, the family revealed Willis' disease had progressed and said he was now suffering from frontotemporal dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that "affects how people behave, how they interact with others and how they speak," Dr. Sami Barmada, director of Michigan Brain Bank and associate professor of neurology at University of Michigan Medicine, previously told TODAY.com.
Heming Willis has been open about what it’s like to care for the “Pulp Fiction” actor amid his diagnosis, saying in March 2023 that she feels “times of sadness every day.”
But "two things can be true and exist at the same time," she shared on Instagram in March 2024, clarifying how her family is looking at life nowadays.
In a video posted March 3, Heming Willis explained that she was “triggered” by rumors online after coming across a headline on social media that claimed the “Pulp Fiction” actor has “no more joy” amid his condition.
“I can just tell you, that is far from the truth. I need society and whoever’s writing these stupid headlines to stop scaring people. Stop scaring people to think that once they a diagnosis of some kind of neurocognitive disease that that’s it, it’s over,” she said.
Instead, Heming Willis said her family's reality is the “complete opposite," adding that they’ve entered a “new chapter.”
“There is grief and sadness. There’s all of that. But you start a new chapter and that chapter is filled — let me just tell you what it is — it's filled with love. It’s filled with connection. It’s filled with joy. It’s filled with happiness. That’s where we are,” she concluded, again asking for an end to “clickbait-y” headlines that “freak people out.”
Willis and Heming Willis met in 2007 when they crossed paths at their mutual trainer’s gym, according to her official website.
“When we first met, I was surprised at how charming and how funny he was — and extremely handsome,” Heming Willis told People in a joint 2020 interview with her husband. “That was my first thought of you.”
Willis added, "I was already in love with her."
Emma Heming and Bruce Willis (NDZ/STAR MAX/IPx)
In 2009, Willis and Heming Willis made their love official when they got married at their home in Turks and Caicos.
Shortly after their wedding, the couple made their red carpet debut as a married couple at the 2009 Met Gala.
That year, the theme was “The Model as Muse." Willis showed up wearing a well-fitted black-and-white suit and Heming Willis sported a floor-length black dress, which featured a plunging neckline.
In April 2012, Heming Willis and Willis welcomed their first child, daughter Mabel, together.
Shortly after Mabel's birth, Willis opened up about becoming a father again.
“You just forget how much fun it is and how cool it is,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “There are a lot of things that I’m reminded of that regular life knocks out of you.”
In 2014, Willis and Heming Willis became parents again when they welcomed their baby girl Evelyn.
In March 2019, the couple renewed their vows at the same place they got married in for their 10th wedding anniversary.
While looking back on the day in 2022, following Willis' aphasia diagnosis, Heming Willis said, "I’m so happy we did. Seize every opportunity to unite and celebrate with family and friends. Those are the moments and beautiful pockets of memories that you get to hold on to for a lifetime. And we get to keep those memories safe and alive for the ones that might not be able to."
In March 2022, Willis' family revealed the "Die Hard" actor was going to step away from his career after he had been diagnosed with aphasia, which affected his cognitive abilities.
According to the National Aphasia Association, aphasia is a disorder caused by damage to the brain that impairs speaking, reading, writing and understanding others.
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him," Willis' family said in a statement.
“As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that," the statement continued.
In February 2023, Willis' family gave an update on his heath.
“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD)," the statement read. "Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, Frontotemporal dementia is a disease that can impact behavior, personality, language and movement. The disorder causes the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain to shrink.
After announcing that Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, Heming Willis took to Instagram in March 2023 to share a "PSA" for the paparazzi.
“This one is going out to the photographers and video people that are trying to get those exclusives of my husband out and about. Just keep your space,” she said.
“Please don’t be yelling at my husband, asking how he’s doing, or whatever. The woo-hooing and the yippee-ki-yays — just don’t do it, OK?” Heming Willis continued. “Give him the space. Allow for our family or whoever’s with him that day to be able to get him from Point A to Point B safely. That’s my PSA.”
Heming Willis opened up about all the grief she felt on Willis’ 68th birthday, March 19, 2023.
“Today is my husband’s birthday. I have started the morning by crying, as you can see by my swollen eyes and snotty nose,” she said in a video. “I just think it’s important that you see all sides of this.”
“I do have times of sadness, every day,” she added. “Grief, every day. And I’m really feeling it today on his birthday.”
On March 21, 2023, Heming Willis celebrated her and Willis' 14-year wedding anniversary, sharing a bouquet of flowers on Instagram.
In the caption, she called him "the greatest love of my life" and recalled a sweet act of kindness that a friend did for her recently.
“In passing at a school event for our children, I mentioned to my friend that our anniversary was tomorrow. Cut to, I get a text from my friend later that day that said she left ‘a little something’ for me at my door,” Heming Willis said. “It was this sweet bouquet of flowers (pictured) with a note that said Happy Anniversary amongst other things.”
"It got me thinking about how hard these types of 'special occasions' can be on caregivers. When usually our person would acknowledge the event, now their changing brains just can’t. And that is what it is," she continued. "So my point is this. If you know someone that is looking after someone else, don’t ask what you can do, just do. This random act of kindness will honestly stay with me for a long time."
On Aug. 14, 2023, Heming Willis took to Instagram to reveal what it’s been like to care for the “Pulp Fiction” actor.
“I have to make a conscious effort every single day to live the best life that I can,” she said. “I do that for myself. I do that for our two children and Bruce, who would not want me to live any other way.”
“So I don’t want it to be misconstrued that, like, I’m good. Because I’m not good. But I have to put my best foot forward for the sake of myself and my family,” Heming Willis continued.
Throughout 2023, Heming Willis has asked other caregivers to send her "something beautiful" from their lives.
“I’m asking care partners to send me photos because I just think it’s so important for us to sort of break up our thinking which can feel, for me, very much like doom and gloom,” she explained in a clip on Instagram.
She said she is making a "conscious effort" to care for herself.
“I don't want it to be misconstrued that, like, I’m good. Because I’m not good. But I have to put my best foot forward for the sake of myself and my family.”
In an Instagram post on Valentine’s Day 2024, Heming Willis was all smiles with her husband.
“Love is a beautiful thing,” she captioned a photo of the two of them at Niagara Falls with a red heart emoji. “Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day.”
