Meet Emma Heming Willis, Bruce Willis' wife of 14 years who is caring for him after his dementia diagnosis

Elana KleinJun 9, 2023, 19:22 IST

Emma Heming Willis and Bruce Willis in 2019.VCG/Getty Images

Bruce Willis' family shared in February 2023 that he'd been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
His wife of 14 years, model and actress Emma Heming Willis, provides care for him.

Close to a year after his family announced that he would be stepping away from acting due to cognitive decline caused by aphasia, Bruce Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, provided her husband's fans with updates about his increasingly poor health.

In February 2023, Heming Willis announced that the actor had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Symptoms of the incurable condition are similar to those of Alzheimer's — patients experience memory loss and difficulty understanding and producing language.

Heming Willis has commented on her experience becoming the caregiver of her husband of 14 years. "You know, I have my moments. It just depends. I'm hanging in there and doing the best that I can. And, turning my pain into purpose," she said in a 2023 interview with certified dementia practitioner Gertrude Jordan.

Here's a look inside the life of Emma Heming Willis, and her relationship with Bruce Willis.

Emma Heming, now 44, was born on the island of Malta before growing up in London and California.

Emma Heming Willis in 2008.Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

In her 20s, she worked as a model, walking catwalks around the world and fronting high-profile designer campaigns.

Emma Heming Willis and Bruce Willis at Paris Fashion Week in 2010.Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

She later began working as an actress and landed a role in the film "Perfect Stranger" — alongside her future husband — in 2007.

Emma Heming Willis in 2009.Ray Tamarra/Getty Images

However, she first met Willis at the gym in 2007.

Emma Heming Willis and Bruce Willis in 2008.James Devaney/Getty Images

Emma Heming and Bruce Willis got married in 2009.

Emma Heming Willis and Bruce Willis in 2009.Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images

The couple has two daughters together, in addition to Willis' three daughters from his previous marriage.

Emma Heming Willis and Bruce Willis in 2014.Jason LaVeris/Getty Images

The couple has collaborated on business endeavors and has developed three fragrances together.

Bruce Willis and Emma Heming Willis in 2019.Jim Spellman/Getty Images

She showed her support for her husband when he was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022.

Emma Heming-Willis and Bruce Willis in 2019.VCG/Getty Images

Heming Willis updated her followers on her husband's worsening condition in February 2023, announcing that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

Bruce Willis and Emma Heming Willis in 2018.Steve Granitz/Getty Images

She continues to provide her Instagram followers with updates on her husband's health, while supporting causes that help fight his condition.

Emma Heming Willis at the AFTD Hope Rising Benefit in 2023.Sean Zanni

In honor of the couple's most recent wedding anniversary, Heming Willis discussed the difficulties of being a caregiver to a romantic partner.

Emma Heming Willis and Bruce Willis in 2013.Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

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