Emma Heming Willis, the wife of Bruce Willis, has opened up about her sadness on her husband’s birthday. The action star turned 68 on March 19, and the occasion was marked by Emma’s emotional video message posted on Instagram Stories. In the video, Emma admits that she has been crying since the morning, and that she is “really feeling” the grief on her husband’s birthday.
Last month, it was revealed that Bruce Willis had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Emma has been an advocate for her husband since the diagnosis and has been using her platform to raise awareness about the disease. Emma has been praised for putting on a brave face in the face of her husband’s health challenges, but she revealed that she is struggling on the inside.
“I always get this message, or people always tell me that ‘Oh, you’re so strong, I don’t know how you do it.’ I’m not given a choice. I wish I was,” Emma said in the video message. “But I’m also raising two kids in this, so sometimes in our lives, we have to put our big girl panties on and get to it, and that’s what I’m doing. But I do have times of sadness every day, grief every day, and I’m really feeling it today on his birthday.”
Emma also spoke about putting together an Instagram reel to celebrate her husband’s birthday. The reel, set to Stevie Wonder’s “As,” was emotional for Emma to watch. “I don’t know why I do that to myself because the videos are like a knife in my heart,” she admitted to fans. “But as much as I do it for myself, I do it for you because I know how much you love my husband — don’t cry, Emma — but it means so much to me, so thank you.”
Bruce Willis shares three adult daughters with ex-wife Demi Moore and two young daughters, Mabel and Evelyn, with Emma, whom he married in 2009. His adult daughter, Scout Willis, also sent her dad birthday greetings, calling it a privilege to have him as her father. Younger sister Tallulah responded with, “Love this girl dad.”
Emma has been a strong support system for Bruce during his health battles and has been leading the charge in raising awareness about FTD. Her honesty and bravery in talking about her grief in the wake of her husband’s diagnosis are a testament to her resilience and strength.
