Emma Heming Willis told her daughters that Bruce Willis would want them to have “freedom” in their own home.
Emma Heming Willis reveals how she explained Bruce Willis move to daughters
The 47-year-old star has recalled the emotional moment she told her and Bruce’s daughters Mabel, 13, and Elelyn, 11, that their dad was moving into a separate house as his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) progresses.
Writing in her new book The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, she said: “‘We’ve come to a point in Daddy’s disease where the care he requires is changing. It has to be more tailored to his every need.’ I told them.
“‘‘And you should be in a home that is more tailored to your needs now.
“‘Also, Daddy would want you to have playdates, sleepovers, and more freedom than you’ve been able to have here. That would make him so happy.’ ”
Emma reassured their daughters that the 70-year-old Die Hard actor’s new house would be a “second home” for the girls.
She described it as a “place they’d keep personal things like toys, arts and crafts supplies, bathing suits, pjs, and games, and that we could go stay with him anytime they wanted”.
She admitted the move was “painful” for the whole family, but they know it was the right decision to make.
She wrote: “Even though they’d lived with his disease for so long that they understood, and even though this decision ensures Bruce’s overall well-being and safety and allows our young children to thrive, it was an uncertain and painful time for us.
“In fact, it’s still painful for me. After all, this is my husband, and having him in another home was not part of the future we’d mapped out together.
“You really can’t dream this stuff up.”
Bruce was diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2022.
Along with his kids with Emma, Bruce also shares three adult daughters with his former wife, Demi Moore, 62 – Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31.
