Bruce Willis is still "really funny", despite living with frontotemporal dementia
The Die Hard actor has stepped out of the spotlight in recent years as his FTD progresses and his wife Emma Heming Willis - with whom he has daughters Mabel, 14, and 12-year-old Evelyn - thinks their family's sense of fun has helped keep them going over the last few years.
Emma told Britain's HELLO! magazine: “We’ve always been a family that finds joy and fun in the littlest things, and that philosophy is precisely what has served us best as we’ve navigated this path.
"If I had to think about what those small moments actually are... well, our daughters are still young and say the most hilarious things. And Bruce is really funny too – he still says things that make us laugh...
"There is something I want to make crystal clear: we are never laughing at him, we are always laughing with him. We’ve managed to protect that sense of joy and fun simply because it’s still very much there.
“Just because someone receives a dementia diagnosis – in whatever form – it doesn’t mean their life is over or that the lights have been turned off completely. There’s still so much fun to be had, so much laughter, and so much connection waiting for you. There is an entire world of love that remains completely intact.
“Painting a picture that dementia is relentless, unmitigated misery every single minute of the day is an absolute myth. We have so many everyday moments that are still hilarious to us, and, thankfully, we’re still laughing.”
Emma also hit out at the misconception that Bruce's dementia diagnosis means the 71-year-old star - who also has Rumer, 38, Scout, 35, and Tallulah, 32, with ex-wife Demi Moore - no longer recognises his family.
She said: "We are talking about a disease that's extremely common; it is estimated that by the year 2050 cases are going to triple. And, yet, misunderstandings continue because it has always been surrounded by a lot of shame and stigmas.
“It’s really eye-opening to see that one of the very first questions almost everyone asks me is, ‘Does Bruce still remember you?’ And my answer is always a resounding yes.
"Bruce doesn’t have Alzheimer’s; he has frontotemporal dementia, which affects a completely different part of the brain. "
While Bruce lives separately from his family, they see him on a daily basis and Emma hopes the love they all have for each other shines through to their daughters.
She said: “It’s a really delicate balance to strike. Guiding them through something like this – through any serious illness, really – is an enormous challenge. But despite how tough things get, I always try to remind myself that it could be so much worse.
“At the end of the day, what our daughters are experiencing and witnessing at home every single day is a masterclass in pure love. They see how much we support their dad, how deeply we love him and how we stand by him through thick and thin. It’s wonderful for them to see everyone rallying together: family, friends... absolutely everyone has formed a protective ring around him.
“I think there’s something genuinely beautiful about them growing up with that sense of unity. Yes, it’s heartbreakingly hard, but my daughters are learning the true meaning of loyalty, devotion and unconditional love.”
