Bruce Willis’ Wife Emma Slams Claims She’s Using His Diagnosis for Fame
Emma Heming clapped back at haters who claim that she’s exploiting Bruce Willis’ battle with frontotemporal dementia for ‘five minutes’ of fame.
Emma Heming wasn’t having any of it on Wednesday. Emma, 44, who has been married to Bruce Willis since 2009, responded to a comment about her using 67-year-old Bruce’s recently revealed battles with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia to raise her profile. “I just saw something about me getting my ‘five minutes,’ which is great, which means that you’re listening,” Emma said in the Instagram Video she posted to her account on Mar. 8. “So, I’m going to take my five minutes and I’m gonna turn it into 10 because I’m always going to advocate for my husband.”
“While I’m at it, I’m going to raise awareness around FTD and for caregivers, who are our unsung heroes out there,” continued Emma. “And then—and then! — I’m going to turn my grief and my anger and my sadness into something good around something that feels less than,” she said. “So, watch this space because I didn’t come to play.” Bruce’s daughter, Scout Willis, threw her support behind Emma in the comments section. “HELL YES! I am so, so proud of you!”
In March 2022, Bruce’s family went public with his aphasia battle. It is a language disorder resulting from brain damage, affecting a person’s communication ability. Those diagnosed with aphasia begin to lose the ability to express themselves through and understand speech. In February 2023, the family shared the heartbreaking news that his condition had progressed to where he had a specific diagnosis of FTD.
“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone,” Bruce’s family wrote in a statement on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration’s website. “For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead.”
“As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research,” the statement continued. “Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately. We know in our hearts that – if he could today — he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families.”
Bruce was famously married to Demi Moore from 1987 to 2000. The two share three daughters: Scout, Rumer, and Tallulah Willis. In 2009, Bruce and Emma, a British American model/actress, tied the knot in a ceremony in the Turks and Caicos Islands. They married again in a civil ceremony six days later. The two share daughters, Mabel Ray (b. 2012) and Evelyn Penn (b. 2014).