Bruce Willis has moved out of the home that he shared with his wife and two young daughters as he continues to battle progressive frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
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The former actor’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, opened up about her decision to move her husband to his own home, which has around-the-clock care and facilitates his special needs, while speaking to People.
While the choice was painful, she realized it was best for both him and his daughters. Bruce has been battling FTD for several years. Now that he is in the later stages, he needs “a calm and serene atmosphere.” Emma also wanted to give her daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, a more normal childhood.
“We have two young children,” she said. “And it was just important that they had a home that supported their needs and that Bruce could have a place that supported his needs … The kids can have playdates and sleepovers [again] and not have to walk around tiptoeing.”
Emma explained that the house is close by, and she considers it her “second home.”
“Everything just feels a lot calmer, more at ease now,” she added.
Emma Heming Willis Responds To Critics
Bruce Willis was initially diagnosed with aphasia, which is a brain disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate, in March 2022. In February 2023, his family announced that he was also suffering from FTD. Emma has since been a major advocate for her husband and others who suffer from dementia. She’s also been open about the specific challenges of caring for loved ones with the disease. More recently, she addressed people who had criticized her choice to move Bruce into his own home after revealing it to Diane Sawyer during the ABC News special, Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey.
“What I knew is that by sharing some of our intimate information that we would see these two camps,” she said in an August 29th Instagram post. “It would be people with an opinion versus people with an actual experience… if they don’t have the experience with this, they don’t have a say, and they definitely don’t get a vote.
During her interview with People, Emma admitted that moving Bruce out of her home was “heartbreaking,” but it supported her family’s needs and “opened up Bruce’s world.”
This story’s featured image is by Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images.
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