Bruce Willis moves into ‘second home’ with 24-hour care team amid dementia battle, says wife Eemma

Bruce Willis moves into ‘second home’ with 24-hour care team amid dementia battle, says wife Eemma

Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, has gone to great lengths to help her husband as he faces the devastating effects of dementia. In a sit-down interview with Diane Sawyer that aired Tuesday night, the 47-year-old revealed that the actor, 70, is now living in a “second home” nearby where he can receive around-the-clock care.

“It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make so far,” Emma admitted in the ABC special Emma and Bruce: The Unexpected Journey. “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 that their daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, still spend meaningful time with their father. “They see him a lot,” she said, noting visits for breakfast and dinner at the house.

Willis — who also shares daughters Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, with ex-wife Demi Moore — was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023. The rare neurological disorder primarily affects the regions of the brain tied to personality, behavior, and language.

During the special, Emma described the painful reality of her husband’s condition.

“The language is going,” she shared. “We’ve learned to adapt and we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a different way. Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce is in really great health overall, it’s just his brain that is failing him.”

She also recalled how the signs first appeared gradually. “For someone who was very talkative and very engaged, he was just a little more quiet,” she said. “When the family would get together, he would just melt a little bit. It felt a little removed, very cold, not like Bruce, who was very warm and affectionate. To go the complete opposite of that was alarming and scary.”

Dr. Bruce Miller, a UCSF neurology professor and FTD expert, explained the disease’s impact: “Suddenly, the person that you’re living with has no empathy or concern for you or your family.”

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Emma’s new role

While coping with the personal toll, Emma has become a public advocate for dementia awareness and caregiver support. She founded Make Time Wellness, focused on promoting brain health for women, and wrote The Unexpected Journey, a resource for families navigating similar struggles.

“Sharing our story is not easy,” she admitted. “But if it helps just one family feel less alone, then it’s worth it.”