Emma Heming Willis Says Living Apart Prepares Kids for Bruce Willis' Death

Emma Heming Willis doesn’t know how much time she and her girls have left with Bruce Willis.

“Giving and allowing the girls some space from Bruce also helps prepare them for his death,” Heming Willis, 49, wrote in her book, The Unexpected Journey, which hit shelves on Tuesday, September 9. “I know how dark and jarring that sounds, but that is the harsh reality of the world I must navigate to continue to protect our girls the best way I can.”

Heming Willis noted that she doesn’t have a “specific timeline” for Willis’ condition. However, she learned that in cases of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the “average life expectancy” tends to be “seven to 13 years after the start of symptoms.”

“This disease of FTD is horrendous, but it gives you a little grace to be able to plan and organize your affairs,” she continued. “I think getting used to it being just the three of us in our home will lessen the shock for Mabel and Evelyn when the inevitable comes. Until there is a cure, this disease will always win.”

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Heming Willis and Willis, who tied the knot in March 2009, share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. The Die Hard actor, 70, is also father to daughters Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, whom he welcomed with ex Demi Moore.

In 2022, Willis’ family announced that the action star retired from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia. The condition is a language disorder that affects a person’s spoken and written language. One year later, Willis’ family confirmed his condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia.

During an August interview with Diane Sawyer, Heming Willis revealed that Willis moved into a second home nearby staffed with full-time care.

“It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make so far,” she reflected. “But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. You know, he would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”

After revealing the news, Heming Willis received backlash for moving Willis into a separate home. The model stood by the decision, saying it was the “safest” course of action for Willis and their children.

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“It’s really not up for a debate. Now I know that Bruce has the best care 100 percent of the time. His needs are met 100 percent of the time, as well as our two young daughters,” she said in an interview on Good Morning America on Tuesday. “So I’m not gonna take a vote on that.”

Heming Willis also advocated that caretakers need to make sure that they are being looked after as well.

“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 continued. “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.”