“Really eye-opening": Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming Willis debunks "one of the very first questions" most ask about her husband's dementia

Aditya Singh Thu, September 10, 2026 at 6:56 AM UTC

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Emma Heming Willis has opened up about the myths surrounding Bruce Willis' dementia diagnosis. She stated the questions that she often gets asked and rued the lack of knowledge about dementia.

Bruce Willis' family revealed in 2022 that he had been diagnosed with aphasia. However, they announced that it had developed into FTD (Frontotemporal dementia) the following year. FTD is a group of diseases that affect the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain.

In an interview with Hello! Magazine, published on September 7, Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, spoke about the myths about his disease. She shared what she often gets asked, saying:

“It’s really eye-opening to see that one of the very first questions almost everyone asks me is: ‘Does Bruce still remember you?’ And my answer is always a resounding yes. Bruce doesn’t have Alzheimer’s; he has frontotemporal dementia, which affects a completely different part of the brain."

“That’s why what I’d love to see, once and for all, is a shift in the media. I wish they’d inform themselves about the different types of dementia and learn to report on them accurately – educating the public rather than feeding fear and stigma,” she added.

Emma Heming Willis acknowledged that living with the disease is painful and extremely difficult. However, she added:

“Painting a picture that dementia is relentless, unmitigated misery every single minute of the day is an absolute myth."

She said that there is a lot of "fun to be had" and that she, Bruce Willis, and their daughters have many laughter-filled moments each day.

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Emma Heming Willis further speaks about myths regarding Bruce Willis' dementia

Comedy Central Roast Of Bruce Willis - Red Carpet - Source: Getty

Bruce Willis is suffering from FTD (Frontotemporal dementia). According to Mayo Clinic, this is an umbrella term for diseases that affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It affects things like behavior and language, not memory, like other forms of dementia or Alzheimer's.

In the aforementioned interview, Emma Heming Willis was asked about people confusing FTD with significant memory loss. She said:

“There are so many that the truth is I've already stopped following the news! But if I had to choose one, I would point out exactly what you've just mentioned: the immense lack of information that exists around dementia. We are talking about a disease that's extremely common; it is estimated that by the year 2050 cases are going to triple. And, yet, misunderstandings continue because it has always been surrounded by a lot of shame and stigmas.”

Emma Heming Willis did, however, explain that the disease is tough to deal with regardless. She said that it "steals things from you very slowly" and puts you "constantly in a state of grief.”

She further spoke about managing her daughters amid this illness. Heming Willis and Bruce Willis have two daughters together: Mabel Ray Willis (14) and Evelyn Penn Willis (12). Bruce also has three daughters from his previous marriage to Demi Moore: Rumer Glenn Willis (38), Scout LaRue Willis (35), and Tallulah Belle Willis (32).

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”