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Emma Heming Willis went into detail about the health of her husband, actor Bruce Willis, confirming that the “Die Hard” star is unaware he has frontotemporal dementia, or FTD.
On the latest episode of her podcast “Conversations with Cam,” mental health advocate Cameron Rogers asked Heming Willis if people like her husband are aware they are experiencing FTD.
“I think they think this is their normal,” Heming Willis answered. “And it’s not for everybody, but … there’s this term, this neurological condition that comes with FTD and other types of dementia as well, called anosognosia, where your brain can’t identify what’s happening to it.”
Heming Willis added, “So where people think this might be denial, like they don’t want to go to the doctor ’cause they’re like, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ Actually, this is the anosognosia that comes into play. It’s not denial, it’s just that their brain is changing. This is a part of the disease.”
Willis was acting regularly before his family suddenly announced in 2022 that he would be permanently retiring due to aphasia, a disorder affecting memory and communication. His family, including ex-wife Demi Moore and their children, confirmed he had FTD a year later.
FTD is not a specific disease but an umbrella term for a group of brain disorders resulting from neuron damage in the frontal and temporal lobes, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can cause emotional problems and unusual behavior, and there is no known cure. Once symptoms begin, the average life expectancy for FTD patients is seven to 13 years.
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Heming Willis, a former fashion model who married Willis in 2009, has shared on social media over the years how trying their day-to-day situation can be, but revealed on the podcast that her husband’s anosognosia has also provided some unexpected comfort along the way.
Anosognosia is often described bluntly as “lack of insight,” as those who have it are incapable of recognizing their own physical or cognitive limitations, according to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. The condition is a frequent symptom of FTD.
“I think that’s, like, the blessing and the curse of this,” she said. “Bruce never tapped in. 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.”
Heming Willis also shared that her husband’s condition has had a “slow progression,” and noted that their blended family has “progressed along with him.”
“So when someone says to me, ‘Does Bruce still know who you are?’ Yes, he does,” she explained.
“Because he doesn’t have Alzheimer’s; he has FTD. He has a way of connecting with me, our children, that might not be the same as you would connect with, you know, your loved one, but it’s still very beautiful, it’s still very meaningful — it’s just different.”