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Emma Heming Willis, Bruce Willis’s wife and caregiver, says that the Die Hard actor doesn’t recognize that he has frontotemporal dementia because he has anosognosia, a condition where the brain doesn’t recognize a medical condition it has. “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,” she explained on the Conversations with Cam podcast. “It’s not denial. It’s just that their brain is changing. This is a part of the disease.” Bruce was diagnosed with dementia in 2023 and has been living separately from his family with full-time care since 2025, as the couple has two young girls living at home.
“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,” Emma continued, looking on the bright side. “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.”
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