Emma Heming dispels criticism in a strong language statement after her husband’s beloved action star Bruce Willis revealed she lives in another home while fighting dementia.
“The opinions are very loud, they’re very loud,” Heming, 47, said in an Instagram video on Friday after appearing on Tuesday’s ABC Diane Sawyer Special.
“But if they don’t have this experience, they won’t have a say, and they definitely won’t get a vote.”
Elsewhere in the clip, Hemming pointed out that in the “comment section” people are “quickly” to “determine caregivers.”
“That’s what caregivers are opposed,” she added. “Dynamics from others and criticism from others.”
Heming said the network “did the beautiful job of amplifying FTD recognition” during the program, exploring Willis’ catastrophic diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia.
She also praised the special “Spotlighting Caregivers.” This is a role she knows well when her husband fights neurodegenerative diseases.
“While openly sharing may invite opinions, what’s even more important is creating connections and validation of people who actually navigate the reality of caregiving each day,” she partially captioned the video.
“That’s what I share, so I can build a deeper connection with the community that understands this journey 💙.”
In the comment thread, Willis’ daughter Tarla (who he shares with his ex-wife Demi Moore) praised her stepmother. “I love you so much. We love you so much. Thank you for doing it for us and our family,” she wrote.
In Tuesday’s special, Hemming, who married Bruce in 2009, revealed that he had made a “hard decision” to move the “Die Hard” star to a not too far from the house that shares 70 stars with his daughter Mabel.
“Bruce would want that for our daughters,” she told Sawyer. “He would have wanted them to be in a home that suited their needs, not his needs.”
Heming emphasized that she and her daughters visit breakfast and dinner frequently, adding that Willis has a full-time care team.
Action Icon retired from acting in 2022 after aphasia diagnosis. Bruce, who shares his grown daughters, Rumer (37) and Scout (34) with Moore, was later diagnosed with FTD in 2023.
According to Mayo Clinic, catastrophic conditions affect the way people process written and spoken language, and interfere with speech. It can also cause mobility issues and behavioral changes.
In December, during his 17th anniversary with Bruce, Heming tackled the “anger and sadness” of living with diagnosis.
“Anniversaries were used to bring excitement. Now, I’m honestly saying they stir all the emotions and leave a weight and a hole in my stomach,” she wrote on Instagram at the time.
“Then I shake it off and go back to what it is. And what… unconditional love,” she continued. “I feel blessed to know that. It’s his fault. I’m trying it over and over again.”
