Actor Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, has reflected on the full gamut of emotions she’s feeling as the couple celebrate their 17th wedding anniversary.
She admitted that while their anniversary used to be exciting, it now conjures up all types of feelings, including the bad as the Die Hard star continues to battle frontotemporal dementia.
Emma admitted she has a “heaviness” in her heart now and often wonders why, especially since Bruce’s health has declined and his conditions have worsened, leaving him “non-verbal.”
“17 years of us. Anniversaries used to bring excitement — now, if I’m honest, they stir up all the feelings, leaving a heaviness in my heart and a pit in my stomach,” the model wrote via Instagram Sunday.
“I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the ‘why him, why us,’ to feel the anger and grief.”
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Emma, 46, continued: “Then I shake it off and return to what is. And what is… is unconditional love. I feel blessed to know it, and it’s because of him. I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat.”
Along with her candid caption, she shared a throwback photo of herself and Bruce, 69, embracing in the ocean at sunset.
The couple started dating in 2007, seven years after Bruce’s divorce from Demi Moore.
Emma and Bruce tied the knot in 2009 and went on to welcome daughters Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10.
The Hollywood actor also shares daughters Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, with Moore, whom he was married to from 1987 to 2000.
The former spouses have maintained a close and amicable relationship over the years, especially as Bruce battles aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
In March 2022, Bruce’s family, including Moore, released a statement revealing he was retiring from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia.
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A post shared by Emma Heming Willis (@emmahemingwillis)
The Mayo Clinic writes that aphasia is a medical condition that can impact a person’s ability to communicate.
A year later, the father of five was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a progressive condition which causes the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain to atrophy.
This can cause issues with speech, emotional problems and changes in personality.
Emma’s anniversary post comes days after she shared a rare glimpse of one of Bruce’s better days.
She took to Instagram with a sweet video of the actor smiling and sitting on a porch singing: “Yodel-o-whoo-whoo.”
He was seen saying: “All right, folks, this is…” before breaking into a laugh.
The actress captioned the clip: “Him. Always.”
In a message posted on her Instagram Stories in March 2023, Emma shared that she had been “crying all morning” ahead of her husband’s birthday.
“I just think it’s important that you see all sides of this,” she said in the video. “I always get this message or people always tell me, ‘Oh, you’re so strong. I don’t know how you do it.’ I’m not given a choice. I wish I was, but I’m also raising two kids in this.”
However, Emma has also made it clear that she is choosing to live in the now.
“Father’s Day is a time I get to reflect on my deep appreciation and respect I have for Bruce as I watch him father our little ones,” Emma wrote in a Father’s Day post last year.
“Where it might not be ‘conventional,’ what he’s teaching them will span generations,” she continued. “Unconditional love, kindness, strength, compassion, patience, generosity, resilience. Happy Father’s Day to the greatest dad I know, who will forever be the gift that keeps giving within our family.”
Meanwhile, Moore has confirmed that the star is “in a very stable place at the moment” during a recent interview with CNN.
“And I’ve shared this before, but I really mean this so sincerely. It’s so important for anybody who’s dealing with this to really meet them where they’re at, and from that place, there is such loving and joy,” the G.I. Jane star explained.
The Substance star said it has been “very difficult” to watch the dad of five’s health struggle, adding: “[It’s] not what I would wish upon anyone.
“There is great loss, but there is also great beauty and gifts that can come from it.”
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