Bruce Willis's Wife Shares Candid Look at Husband's Dementia

Pop culture fans the world over were shocked and saddened by Bruce Willis's March 2022 announcement that he would retire from acting at age 67. The reason: A diagnosis of aphasia, a degenerative brain condition that impairs a person's ability to communicate and understand others. The disorder is a form of dementia, which affects about six million Americans. That number is expected to grow in the coming years as the population ages. It will also greatly affect caregivers, as Willis's wife, Emma Hemming Willis, demonstrated on social media this week with a candid look at how she's coping with her husband's condition.

Former model Emma, 45, made a frank, confessional post on Instagram on Monday, telling her followers she is "not good." Calling her post a "care partner PSA," Emma asked followers who are taking care of a loved one with dementia to send her a picture of "something beautiful."

Followers immediately obliged, and Emma thanked them on video. "So, I finished my hike," she said, "And your pictures are making me so happy." She said she made the request because "I just think it's so important for us to sort of break up our thinking, which can feel, for me, very much like doom and gloom."

The action star's wife founded Make Time Wellness after his diagnosis, "to help women prioritize their brain, body and beauty—in that order, while making more time for themselves," a press release stated. The company produces a line of supplements for brain health, prenatal support, and women's health. 

Emma Willis addressed her social media presence and said it doesn't necessarily match up with her day-to-day reality. "I know it looks like I'm out living my best life," she said. "I have to make a conscious effort every single day to live the best life that I can. I do that for myself, I do that for our two children and Bruce, who would not want me to live any other way." 

"I don't want it to be misconstrued that, like, I'm good, 'cause I'm not. I'm not good," she said in the video. "But I have to put my best foot forward for the sake of myself and my family."

"When we are not looking after ourselves, we can not look after anyone that we love, so it's really important. It does not come to me easily, but I am just doing the best that I can always." In a caption on the video, she said, "I ask that you'll consider to keep looking for that one beautiful thing or moment in your day."