Bruce Willis' wife Emma makes heartbreaking admission about star after health diagnosis

Bruce Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, made a heartbreaking revelation about her relationship with the actor following his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis in 2023. The family regularly take to social media to share updates on his condition as they try their best to continue their everyday lives while looking after the star.

His family announced in 2022 that the Die Hard star, 70,would be retiring from the industry after initially being diagnosed with aphasia - a brain disorder that leads to difficulty in understanding or producing speech. A year later, it was revealed he was also diagnosed with FTD.

His loving wife Emma, 47, has been by his side throughout the entire journey, but recently admitted she wishes she could 'have a conversation with him'.

READ MORE: Bruce Willis' life now as wife reveals he's living separately from her and children

READ MORE: Bruce Willis' wife breaks down as she gives heartbreaking update on his dementia battle

Emma sat down with Diane Sawyer in an ABC special called Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, where she was asked what she would talk to her husband about if she could.

She admitted: "I'd ask how he's doing, if he's okay, he feels okay. If there's anything that we could do to support him better. I would really love to know that. If he's scared. If he's ever worried. I just would love to be able to just to have a conversation with him."

During the emotional conversation, Emma announced Bruce no longer lives with the rest of the family, explaining how he resides in a separate home as "Bruce would want that for our daughters", Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11.

"He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs," she added. The family made the difficult decision to move the Sixth Sense star into the nearby one-story property, safe for him and his 24-hour care team to navigate, "some time ago".

Before the move, she noticed how noise caused agitation to Bruce's condition, meaning Emma had to stop hosting hangouts and sleepovers for the girls, which in turn disrupted their lives.

“I didn’t know if parents would feel comfortable leaving their kid at our home,” Emma explained. “I isolated our whole family, and that was by design…That was a hard time.” Although he's now in a different home, it makes it easier for both Bruce and the family to live their lives.

Emma says they're at their "second home" a lot, and the young daughters "have their things there". The home is "filled with love and warmth and care and laughter," and Emma has been delighted to see how many of his friends continue to show up to support him. Bruce is doing physically well, but his ability to speak is fading. However, the family have still found a way to communicate.

She said: "Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce is in really great health overall, you know. It’s just his brain that is failing him. We have a way of communicating with him that is just a different way. But I’m grateful. I’m grateful that my husband is very much here."

The Fifth Element actor's ex-wife, Demi Moore, with whom he was married from 1987 to 2000, often visits with their children to spend time with him. He shares daughters Rumer Willis, 36, Scout Willis, 33, and Tallulah Willis, 31, with The Substance actress.

Although Bruce's diagnosis initially left Emma feeling isolated, she still 'has a connection with him' and lives every moment surrounded by her loved ones.

"When we are with him, he lights up," she explained. "He's holding our hands, we're kissing him. We're hugging him. He is reciprocating. He is into it. That's all I need. I don't need him to know that I am his wife; we were married on this day. I don't need any of that. I just want to feel that I have a connection with him, and I do."

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Threads.

READ MORE: Aftershave that 'turns heads' and 'smells more expensive than it is' now 15% off

READ MORE: Top Tech: Virgin Media offers two months free with £125 discount – but it ends in hours