Bruce Willis' Wife Shares Cryptic Message—'Looks About Right'
Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming Willis has shared a cryptic post to her Instagram story indicating her angst over the realities of her husband's dementia.
In March 2022, Die Hard star Bruce retired from acting, and in February 2023, his loved ones announced he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The rare condition causes problems with behaviour and language as it progresses impacts memory and physical ability.
Since his diagnosis Willis has been largely out of the public eye. However, Heming Willis, who shares daughters Evelyn, 10, and Mabel, 12, with the star, occasionally provides a glimpse into their life , on social media.
Now, the former model has posted a unique diagram to her Instagram story with the caption: "Looks about right." It includes the words "anxious," "nervous," and "confused."
As Heming Willis is very public about the realities of FTD , this diagram could relate to what it's like loving someone who has the progressive brain disease, although this hasn't been confirmed.
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Heming Willis for comment on Wednesday.
In the photo, a piece of paper has the word "hopeful" written at the top, with arrows leading on a path to various other words, such as "sad," "defeated" and "isolated." The path then reaches the word "hopeful" written again, this time at the bottom of the page.
Heming Willis is an advocate for patients and caretakers dealing with the incurable disease and has become involved in efforts to advance important legislation and research. In 2025 the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) will honor her with an award for her efforts in raising awareness for FTD.
During an October interview with Town & Country, Heming Willis opened up about how she's been since the diagnosis.
"Today I'm much better than I was when we first received the FTD diagnosis. I'm not saying it's any easier, but I've had to get used to what's happening so that I can be grounded in what is, so that I can support our children," she said.
"I'm trying to find that balance between the grief and the sadness that I feel, which can just crack open at any given moment, and finding joy."
Heming Willis also told how she explained her husband's deteriorating health to their children. After speaking with her therapist, Heming Willis learned that if her children were asking questions, it meant they were ready to be told the honest answer.
"If we could see that Bruce was struggling, I would address it with the kids so they could understand, but this disease is chronic, progressive, and terminal. There is no cure.
"Obviously, I don't like to speak about the terminal side of this with them, nor have they asked. They know that daddy's not going to get better," she explained.
"There is no treatment, which is why I'm out there raising awareness, so that they can see that we have some agency in this. I'm not going to allow FTD to take our whole family down. Bruce wouldn't want that. They're going to see me fight for our family, have some hope, and help the next family out there."
Heming Willis' advocacy work has also been recognized by the children Willis shares with ex-wife Demi Moore—Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30.
In September 2023, Scout praised Heming Willis for raising awareness amid their father's health condition, after she appeared on the Today show alongside Susan Dickinson, head of the AFTD, to promote World FTD Week.
Following the emotional conversation, Scout posted a clip of her stepmother's appearance on her Instagram Story.
"I TRULY could not be more proud of for being willing to step out into the public eye, (even though it's terrifying!!!) to share our family's story in service of spreading awareness about FTD," she wrote.
Willis was originally diagnosed with language disorder aphasia, but Heming Willis, Moore and his daughters later shared a joint statement saying that he had been diagnosed with FTD.
They said on Instagram: "Since we announced Bruce's diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce's condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis."
