Emma Heming Willis said her family's decision to move her husband, actor Bruce Willis, into a separate residence was based on medical needs and safety concerns, despite public debate over the choice.
In an interview with Michael Strahan on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday, Heming Willis defended the arrangement, which she details in her new book "The Unexpected Journey." She said the move ensured her husband, who has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, receives consistent care.
"It was the safest and best decision — not just for Bruce, but also for our two young girls," Heming Willis, 49, said. "Now I know that Bruce has the best care 100% of the time. His needs are met 100% of the time, as well as our two young daughters. So I'm not gonna take a vote on that."
Strahan noted that the decision "kind of created a debate online." Heming Willis responded that she "knew it would" but emphasized that the choice was final. "It's really not up for a debate," she said.
Heming Willis first revealed the living arrangement during a recent interview with Diane Sawyer for the ABC News special "Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey." She said caregivers often face public judgment.
"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 told Strahan.
She added that dementia affects families differently.
"If you've seen one case of dementia, it's one case of dementia," she said. "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."
Heming Willis said her decision was influenced by a warning from Bruce Willis' neurologist.
"Sometimes, caregivers die before their loved ones," she recalled being told. "I think that was my wake-up call to realize that I need to get help, and I'm not a failure because I need help."
During a conversation with Sawyer, Heming Willis described the move as "the hardest decision that I've had to make so far."
"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," she said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.