Bruce Willis does not know that he has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his wife Emma Heming Willis revealed, explaining that a neurological condition prevents him from recognizing the illness.
Heming Willis discussed her husband's condition during an interview on the Jan. 28 episode of the podcast "Conversations with Cam," hosted by Cameron Oaks Rogers.
In the conversation, she said Willis, 70, has never been aware of the diagnosis or the progression of his illness.
"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," she said.
Heming Willis explained that her husband has anosognosia, a condition in which a person is unable to recognize their own illness.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, anosognosia is often associated with neurological and mental health disorders and affects a person's ability to perceive changes in their brain or behavior.
As she described it, "It's where your brain can't identify what is happening to it," meaning that people with the condition perceive their experience as normal. She said this is often mistaken for denial.
"People think this might be denial — like they don't want to go to the doctor because 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," she explained.
Heming Willis said Bruce Willis remains present with his family, even as the disease has altered how he communicates.
As his condition has progressed, she said, "We have progressed along with him. We've adapted along with him."
She added, "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."
Bruce Willis was first diagnosed in 2022 with aphasia, a neurological condition that affects speech and language.
In February 2023, his family announced that the diagnosis had advanced to frontotemporal dementia, a degenerative brain disorder that impacts behavior, language, and cognitive abilities. The disease is progressive and currently has no cure.
In August, Heming Willis shared that her husband had moved into a nearby separate residence to receive round-the-clock professional care. She remains actively involved in his care while maintaining a stable home environment for their two daughters.
She previously spoke about the decision during an ABC News interview with Diane Sawyer, describing the emotional weight of the change.
"It was one of the hardest decisions that I've had to make so far," she said.
Heming Willis explained that the move was made to balance her husband's medical needs with the well-being of their children.
"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.
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