Bruce Willis’ partner has opened up about the difficulties she faces around Christmas time as she reflects on being her husband’s carer.
Ahead of Christmas, Emma Heming Willis released an essay on her website that saw her speak candidly about life right now and the challenging family dynamic she is dealing with.
In the essay titled ‘The Holidays Look Different Now’, the 47-year-old reflected on the reality of caring for her husband, Bruce Willis, following his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in 2023.
The rare type of dementia, which often affects people aged 45 to 65, can include personality changes, language problems, issues with focus and problem solving, and memory loss.
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The couple share daughters Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn, 11, together.
Speaking spending the festive season together as a family she said: “When you’re caring for someone with dementia, that reflection can feel especially poignant. Traditions that once felt somewhat effortless require planning - lots of planning.
“Moments that once brought uncomplicated joy may arrive tangled in a web of grief. I know this because I’m living it. Yet despite that, there can still be meaning. There can still be warmth. There can still be joy."
In the candid essay, Emma confessed to 'harmlessly cursing Bruce's name' when she finds herself burdened with festive chores that 'used to be his', adding: "Not because I’m mad at him, never that, but because I miss the way he once led the holiday charge."
Heming also spoke about letting go of the idea of what the holiday celebrations are meant to be like.
She emphasized that the ‘hardest part of the holidays’ may not be something most people would assume.
During her essay she said that, as a caregiver, one of the hardest things was ‘the pressure, both external and internal, to make everything feel “normal”’.
She continued: “We’re surrounded by images of what the holidays are supposed to look like–perfectly decorated homes, lighthearted gatherings, smiling faces captured in matching pajamas.
“Even when we know these images are curated, they can still create a sense of failure and extra loss when our reality doesn’t match. When dementia is part of your family, ‘normal’ becomes a moving target.
“For a long time, I wanted to the holidays to remain exactly as they were, as if this might protect us from what was happening. But I’m learning that flexibility isn’t giving up. It’s adapting.
“It’s choosing compassion and reality over perfection. It’s understanding that meaning doesn’t live in the size of the gathering or the polish of the day. It lives in presence.”
Despite the somber topic in the essay, Emma ended her essay on an uplifting and more optimistic note.
Speaking to others who may also be dealing with health struggles over the holiday she emphasized five points:
- You’re not failing if things look different. You’re adapting.
- You don’t owe anyone an explanation for how you choose to celebrate or not celebrate.
- It’s okay to simplify. Less can be more.
- Grief is not a sign of ingratitude. It’s a sign of love.
- Joy doesn’t have to be loud to be real.
Clearly something worth remembering as we get reflective at the end of the year.
Topics: News, US News, Celebrity, Bruce Willis
Gerrard Kaonga