Emma Heming Willis Defends Moving Husband Bruce Willis Into His Own Home

Emma Heming Willis isn’t listening to critics when it comes to the choices she makes for Bruce Willis‘ dementia care.

Emma opened up about her role as her husband’s caregiver and her new book, The Unexpected Journey, on the Tuesday, September 9, episode of Good Morning America. During the interview, Michael Strahan noted how Emma’s recent revelation that Bruce lives in a separate home to receive around-the-clock care “created a debate online.”

For Emma, the decision was all about what was best for her and Bruce’s family. “It was a hard decision for us, but that was the safest and best decision — not just for Bruce, but also for our two young girls,” she explained. “And, you know, it’s really not up for a debate. Now I know that Bruce has the best care 100% of the time. His needs are met 100% of the time, as well as our two young daughters. So I’m not gonna take a vote on that.”

Emma and Bruce, who wed in 2009, share two daughters — Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. Bruce also shares his elder three daughters — Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31 — with his ex-wife, Demi Moore.

Emma went on to share that she knew the news of her and Bruce living in separate homes would spark some online debates. “I feel like caregivers are so judged, and it just goes to show that people sometimes just have an opinion versus really having the experience,” she stated. “And I’ll say that dementia plays out differently in every household. If you’ve seen one case of dementia, it’s one case of dementia. So, you have to do what is right for your family and what is going to keep your loved one safe, as well as your young children.”

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One year after he was diagnosed with aphasia, Bruce’s family announced in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. While Emma has stood by her husband’s side over the years, she realized she needed some care of her own after Bruce’s neurologist reminded her that “sometimes caregivers die before their loved ones.”

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“I think that was my wakeup call to realize that I need to get help, and I’m not a failure because I need help. It’s okay for me to raise my hand. I didn’t realize that. I really needed permission for someone to tell me that it’s OK to get help,” Emma told Strahan. “That’s what I hope that this book does for caregivers: It just gives them the permission to be able to care for themselves because if they don’t, how will they be able to show up and continue to care for the person that they love?”

When asked about Bruce’s current health condition, Emma shared that the actor is currently doing “really well.”

Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for IMG

Emma made the revelation about her and Bruce’s separate living arrangements in her ABC News special with Diane Sawyer, Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, which aired on August 26.

In addition to sharing that she visits Bruce for breakfast and dinner every day, Emma said that she is “very open” with the pair’s daughters about their dad’s condition. “I never wanted them to think he wasn’t paying attention to them,” she stated. “It was relief, like, ‘OK, now we get it. Now we understand truly what’s happening.”

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