Emma Heming Willis is opening up about how her family has learned to find joy and create new traditions during the holiday season as they care for her husband, Bruce Willis, during his ongoing battle with dementia.
A Different Kind of Christmas Joy
The British model, 47, spoke candidly with People magazine at the End Well 2025 conference in Los Angeles on November 20 about their family's adaptation. "It's joyous. It's just different," she explained. "Bruce loved Christmas and we love celebrating it with him. It just looks different, so we've kind of adapted to that."
Willis's health journey became public in March 2022 when his family announced he had been diagnosed with aphasia and would retire from acting. The condition progressed to frontotemporal dementia the following year, marking a significant change for the entire family.
Creating New Memories While Honoring Traditions
Emma emphasized that holidays can be particularly challenging for families with loved ones experiencing dementia, but stressed the importance of maintaining traditions while creating new memories. "You have to learn and adapt and make new memories, bring in the same traditions that you had before," she continued. "Life goes on. It just goes on."
She specifically mentioned keeping one particular tradition alive: "I think it's important to put 'Die Hard' on because it's a Christmas movie." This reference to her husband's iconic film underscores their commitment to maintaining connections to his celebrated career.
While acknowledging that "dementia is hard," Emma declared that "there is still joy in it" despite circumstances being different than before. She added an important perspective: "I think it's important that we don't paint such a negative picture around dementia. We are still laughing. There is still joy. It just looks different."
Family Support Across Generations
Bruce Willis and Emma Heming Willis first met in 2007 and married in 2009 after two years of dating. They share two daughters: Mabel Ray Willis and Evelyn Penn Willis. The Die Hard star also has three daughters—Rumer Glenn Willis, Scout LaRue Willis, and Tallulah Belle Willis—from his previous marriage to Demi Moore.
In a separate update, Rumer Willis recently shared insights about her father's condition during an Instagram Q&A session. "People always ask me this question," she said. "And I think it's kind of a hard one to answer, because the truth is that anybody with FTD is not doing great. But he's doing OK in terms of somebody who's dealing with frontotemporal dementia."
Rumer expressed gratitude for the moments of connection they still share: "I'm so grateful that when I go over there [to his separate home for dementia care] and give him a hug, whether he recognizes me or not, that he can feel the love I've given him and I can feel it back."
Emma reflected on the simplicity of their family life, noting that being present with her husband brings the greatest joy. "I think that just being able to be present with him, that is the joy. Me being able to be his wife with him. Those are the moments."
