Emma Heming Willis revealed that her husband, A-List actor Bruce Willis, doesn’t know that he’s been diagnosed with dementia.
Emma, 47, disclosed this aspect of her husband’s diagnosis in a conversation with Cameron Oaks Rogers on her podcast “Conversations with Cam.” Rogers asked Emma if Bruce “knows” that he has dementia. She, in turn, told the host that Bruce “never, never tapped in” to his diagnosis.
“I think that’s like the blessing and the curse of this, is that he never connected the dots that he had this disease, and I’m really happy about that. I’m really happy that he doesn’t know about it,” she shared.
“I think they think it’s this is their normal,” Emma continued, speaking of people who have dementia. She explained that it’s “not denial,” but that it’s a part of the disease’s effect on the brain.
“It’s not denial. It’s just that their brain is changing. This is a part of the disease,” she said.
“Dementia plays out so differently in everybody,” she added, saying that Bruce is still “present” in his body.
Emma said that Willis, 70, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, in 2022. The family revealed his diagnosis to the public in 2023.
Willis’ wife has shared much about their family life and his health since his diagnosis. In September 2025, she published The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on The Caregiving Path, a memoir of their evolving relationship and the nuances of caregiving.
Heming and Willis have been married since 2009 and share two children, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. Willis was previously married to actress Demi Moore from 1987 to 2000. The former couple, who remained close, share three daughters: Rumer Glenn Willis, 37, Scout LaRue Willis, 34, and Tallulah Willis, 31.
Emma told Rogers that Bruce still “has a way of connecting” with her and their children, “that might not be the same as you would connect with your loved one, but it’s still very beautiful.”
“It’s still very meaningful. It’s just—it’s just different," she said. “You just learn how to adapt.”
