Emma Heming Willis is sharing how her and Bruce Willis’s two daughters are dealing with his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis as she opens up about the intimate details of his battle in a rare interview.
“I really felt like I was so alone, so isolated. Felt like what we were going through as a family, what Bruce was going through, was so singular,” Emma Heming Willis told Diane Sawyer in their interview, Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, that premiered on ABC News on August 26.
“I was definitely worried about sleeping and just making sure that our house was secure. You have to think about your stove. You have to think about your freezer, refrigerator doors,” Emma continued.
After learning that noises can agitate people living with FTD, Emma admitted that she began isolating not only herself and her husband, but their two young daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, as well.
At the time, Mabel and Evelyn were no longer allowed to live like normal children, banned from having friends over for playdates or sleepovers.
“I didn’t know if parents would feel comfortable leaving their child at our home,” Emma continued. “So again, not only was I isolated, I isolated our whole family. The girls were isolated too, and that was by design I was doing that. It was a hard time.”
Willis didn’t start to take notice of how Bruce’s FTD diagnosis was affecting her until one of her stepdaughters, Scout La Rue Willis, who Bruce shares with ex-wife Demi Moore, spoke candidly with Emma.
Scout told Emma that she was more worried about her than she was worried about her dad.
“I’ll never forget when Scout said that to me, and I thought, ‘Wow, okay, I am losing it. I need to really get myself together.”
Emma herself had then undergone treatment for depression and eventually hired professional caregivers to help her care for Bruce in the way that he needed care.
The 49-year-old admitted to waiting much too long to reach out for help, understanding how lucky she is to have the resources to do so, noting that she’s aware of what a privilege that is.
And when it comes to their daughters, Emma said she couldn’t be more proud of how Mabel and Evelyn have handled this particularly difficult situation.
“It’s so beautiful to see our daughters and how they show up for him. They’re doing a beautiful job. I’m really proud of them.” But in order to give their girls the life she knows Bruce would want for them, Emma made the decision to buy a second home, one that better accommodates Bruce’s needs.
“It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make so far. But I knew first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. You know, he would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs,” Emma explained.
“We are there a lot. It’s our second home. So the girls have their things there. It is a house that is filled with love and warmth and care and laughter. And it’s been beautiful to see that, to see how many of Bruce’s friends continue to show up for him. They bring in life and fun.”
As for if Bruce recognizes of the people around him, Emma says she feels “he does, like I know he does.”
“You know, when we are with him, he lights up, right? We’re holding our hands. We’re kissing him. We’re hugging him. He is reciprocating, you know, he is into it. And so that’s all I need, you know, I don’t need him to know that I am his wife. We were married on this day, and this is what…I don’t need any of that. I just want to feel I have connection with him, and I do.”
But there is still a piece of Emma that wonders if she’s doing enough for her husband. Sawyer asked Emma if she wished there was one thing she could ask Bruce, to which Emma replied saying, “How he’s doing? If he’s okay? If he feels okay? If there’s anything that we could do to support you better? Is he scared? Is he ever worried? I just like would love to be able to have a conversation with him.”
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