Emma Heming Willis says family is “doing well” as Bruce Willis continues battling frontotemporal dementia

Emma Heming Willis is a model and entrepreneur known for her successful business ventures and her marriage to Hollywood action star Bruce Willis. The 47-year-old has built a career as a businesswoman while also stepping into a caregiving role for her husband. Now, she opens up about managing their family life as Bruce navigates his ongoing health challenges.

According to TODAY, Emma Heming Willis appeared on the morning show on Wednesday, May 27, and briefly spoke about her husband as the family manages his ongoing struggle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). "You know, we're doing well," she told Savannah Guthrie. "My husband is supported and loved and we're doing the best we can under the circumstances."

Bruce Willis diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia

The 'Die Hard' star's family announced that Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, in 2023. It's a catch-all term for a group of brain disorders that cause the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain to atrophy, which creates speech issues, emotional problems and changes in personality. Other symptoms can include loss of motor skills—problems walking, swallowing or muscle spasms. It's a progressive disease, and it is the most common form of dementia for people under 60.

For Bruce, he remains "still very much present in his body," Emma explained, adding that as his dementia has progressed, "we have progressed along with him. We've adapted along with him."

Emma Heming Willis moves Bruce to second home

Earlier this year, Emma revealed that Bruce, 71, was moved to a second home due to the progression of his FTD. "It was one of the hardest decisions. It did not come easy," Emma told Cameron Oaks Rogers on the January 28 episode of his 'Conversations with Cam' podcast. "Caregivers are faced with really hard decisions and we have to do what is the best for our family, what's the safest for our person."

Ultimately, concern for Mabel Ray, 14, and Evelyn Penn, 12, the daughters she shares with the actor, impacted the decision, she said. "Bruce wouldn't want his two young daughters to be clouded by his disease. I know that," she explained. "They weren't having sleepovers, play dates. We weren't inviting people over … it was a really hard time."

Emma Heming Willis launches brain health brand

As a caregiver for Bruce, Emma said one of the things she quickly realized was how vital it is to make sure she remains healthy herself, which inspired her growing women's brain health brand, 'Make Time Wellness'.

During the morning show, she noted that 1 in 5 women will get Alzheimer's disease, compared to 1 in 10 men, and stressed the importance of having conversations about brain health. "What I've learned is that it's so important to care for ourselves and if we're not caring for ourselves, how can we care for the people that we love in our lives? So it's really important to prioritize our health, to prioritize our brain health," she said. "There's actually actionable things we can do today to support our brain tomorrow."

We have progressed along with him, and we've adapted along with him as his dementia progressed, Emma explained of their family's journey together.

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