Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, has spoken about how she connects with her husband as he lives with frontotemporal dementia. Bruce, 70, was first diagnosed in 2022 after being told he had aphasia, according to Mirror. His wife has now said that the two of them now have their “own language.”
Emma, 47, has been married to Bruce since 2009. They met in 2005 through her trainer, Gunnar Peterson. Together they have two daughters, Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11.
‘Bruce and I now have our own language’
Emma is releasing a memoir, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path. Ahead of the release, she explained how she and Bruce have built new ways to understand each other since his dementia affects his ability to speak.
She told the Sunday Times: “Bruce and I now have our own language, our own way to be with each other.
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“It’s just about sitting with him, walking with him, listening to him as he tries to verbalise in his own language. Hearing him, validating him. You know.
“I can’t ask him how he’s feeling, what’s wrong, or if something hurts. Instead I read his body language or look into his eyes to understand what’s bothering him and what he’s experiencing.”
Emma has been part of his care team since his diagnosis, supported by their family, including Bruce’s ex-wife Demi Moore and his three older children. Fans and friends have also shown their support.
In addition to caring for Bruce, Emma has spoken publicly to raise awareness about frontotemporal dementia and to help families facing the same situation.
FTD is the most common dementia diagnosed before the age of 65. It affects the frontal and temporal parts of the brain and often causes changes in behavior, speech, and personality.
Professor James Rowe explained to The Telegraph: “The temporal lobes are where our language centres are based.
“Damage here can mean we lose the ability to produce speech, and also lose the deeper understanding of what words and objects mean (called semantics).”
The disease is not curable, but researchers are working on possible treatments. In Cardiff, Wales, a new trial is testing if a one-time gene therapy could slow the disease.