Emma Heming Willis reveals she once considered divorce before Bruce Willis’ dementia diagnosis

Emma Heming Willis has opened up about one of the most painful chapters in her marriage, admitting she once thought her relationship with Bruce Willis was falling apart before his dementia diagnosis gave her clarity.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the 49-year-old author and caregiver said she questioned whether Bruce had stopped loving her and even contemplated divorce. She explained that before doctors confirmed his struggles with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, she felt the actor had become distant and unrecognisable.

“I felt like my marriage was crumbling,” Emma admitted, recalling a period when Bruce’s behaviour seemed to shift. She noticed his stutter return and their conversations no longer made sense, which left her questioning what had gone wrong between them. “I thought it was something I was doing in our marriage that was not working anymore,” she said.

The couple, who married in 2009 and share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, had enjoyed what Emma described as a romantic and beautiful love story before symptoms began to show. Without answers, Emma said she grew frustrated, often blaming herself for the breakdown in communication. “It’s like you’re banging your head against a brick wall,” she reflected.

When Bruce was finally diagnosed in 2022, Emma described the moment as bittersweet but also relieving. “There was relief in understanding, ‘Oh, okay, this wasn’t my husband, it was that this disease was taking parts of his brain,’” she said. From that point forward, she softened her perspective, realising the strain was not the result of marital issues but of a devastating illness.

Emma has since become a strong advocate for caregivers, releasing her book The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, where she shares her own experiences while offering guidance to others in similar situations.

Her story highlights not only the hidden toll dementia takes on families but also the resilience required to continue loving through such profound change.