Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming has marked their 18th wedding anniversary with a touching tribute amid the Die Hard actor’s battle with dementia.
To celebrate their milestone, Hemming, 47, shared a sweet throwback snap of Willis, 70, kissing his girlfriend on the head as he looked on.
“18 years ago he became my boyfriend,” she captioned an Instagram on Tuesday. “I just kissed the top of my head and time stopped. I’m so lucky to have known this kind of love.”
That moment came shortly after Hemming shared a more somber message as she reflected on how this holiday season has changed since her husband was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA).
“Moments that once brought simple joy may come tangled in a web of sadness,” she wrote on her blog last week, noting that things “look different” now. “I know it because I live it.”
“I’ve learned that having dementia doesn’t make your holidays disappear; your holidays change,” she added.
The mother of two recalled that when Willis was younger, she “loved this time so much: the energy, the family time, the traditions.”
“He was the one who made pancakes, the one who went out in the snow with the kids, and the steady presence who moved around the house as the day progressed,” she wrote.
“Dementia doesn’t erase those memories,” she continued. “But it creates a space between then and now. And that space can be painful.”
Hemming revealed in November that the couple planned to spend the holidays together this year, despite deciding to move Willis to another home as her condition worsened.
“Bruce loved Christmas. We love celebrating Christmas with him,” she told People magazine at the time.
“I think it’s important to play ‘Die Hard’ because it’s a Christmas movie,” she added jokingly.
