Emma Heming Willis, the wife of Bruce Willis, has begged the paparazzi to back off and leave her husband alone following his dementia diagnosis. In an emotional Instagram video, Emma admitted she was struggling to get Bruce out in public safely due to photographers shouting at him and filming him without his consent.
“If you are someone who is looking after someone with dementia, you know how difficult and stressful it can be to get someone out into the world and to navigate them safely, even just to get a cup of coffee,” she said. “It’s clear that there’s still a lot of education that needs to be put forth. So this one is going out to the photographers and video people that are trying to get those exclusives of my husband out and about. Just keep your space.”
She went on to say that while paparazzi and celebrities tend to have reciprocal relationships at times, there need to be boundaries when someone is ill. Now that Bruce Willis has dementia, the last thing he or his family need is photographers shouting and asking personal questions about his health.
“I know this is your job, but maybe just keep your space,” Emma continued. “Please don’t be yelling at my husband, asking how he’s doing, whatever. The woo-hooing and the yippee-ki-yay’s — just don’t do it. Give him the space. Allow for our family or whoever’s with him that day to be able to get him from Point A to Point B safely. That’s my PSA.”
Bruce Willis was diagnosed with dementia earlier this year
The family released a joint statement in February 2023 giving an update on the health problems Willis had been experiencing recently. He was eventually diagnosed with untreatable frontotemporal dementia.
“Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support, and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis. In the spirit of that, we wanted to give you an update about our beloved husband, father and friend since we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing,” the statement began.
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him.”
They added: “FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone. For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead.”
