Bruce Willis' wife Emma says he 'doesn't know' he has dementia as she opens up on diagnosis

Emma Heming Willis says that her husband, Bruce Willis, hasn't 'connected the dots' when it comes to his dementia diagnosis.

The Willis family announced in 2022 that the legendary actor had been diagnosed with aphasia, which is a type of condition that affects how a person communicates.

A year later Willis, now 70, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

FTD is 'an umbrella term for a group of brain diseases that mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain', says the Mayo Clinic, and these parts of the brain are often linked with personality, behavior and language.

FTD often affects people at a younger age in comparison to Alzheimer's disease, and often begins between the ages of 40 and 65. Willis was 67 years old at the time of his diagnosis.

Bruce Willis was diagnosed with FTD in 2023 (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

The Die Hard actor's wife Emma has been extremely candid about his health since he developed the devastating illness and often shares updates about how he's doing.

In a recent conversation with Cameron Oaks Rogers on her podcast, The Unexpected Journey, Emma said that her husband isn't aware of his dementia diagnosis and that he has 'never connected the dots' – something which she says she's 'happy' about.

She shared: "I think that's like the blessing and the curse of this, is that he never connected the dots that he had this disease, and I'm really happy about that.

"I'm really happy that he doesn't know about it."

Going on to note that dementia can change a person and their memories, Cameron asked Emma: "When you're with Bruce, do you ever tap into this moment where you feel like it's still him because he knows who you are?"

"Yeah, he's still very much present in his body," Emma replied. "His disease, for the most part, is a slow progression. So we have progressed along with him. We have adapted along with him."

She added: "When someone says to me 'Does Bruce still know who you are?' - yes he does because he doesn't have Alzheimer's. He had FTD."

While memory impairment is an early symptom of Alzheimer's, it's not with FTD. It can, however, occur in later stages as the disease progresses.

Emma continued to say of her husband: "He has a way of connecting with me, our children that might not be the same as you would connect with your loved one, but it's still very beautiful.

"It's still very meaningful. It's just — it's just different. You just learn how to adapt."

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article and would like to speak with someone in confidence, the Alzheimer’s Association has a 24/7 helpline you can call on 800.272.3900. Alternatively there are other ways to contact the organization via their website.