Bruce Willis not aware he has dementia

Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia but is unaware due to anosognosia, says his wife Emma Heming Willis. Photo / Getty Images

Bruce Willis has never been aware he has dementia.

The Die Hard actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023, but his wife Emma Heming Willis has told how he “never connected the dots” about his condition and she is happy that he remains unaware.

Speaking on the Conversations with Cam podcast, People magazine reports Emma said: “Bruce never, never tapped in.

“I think that’s like the blessing and the curse of this, is that he never connected the dots that he had this disease, and I’m really happy about that. I’m really happy that he doesn’t know about it.”

The 47-year-old model – who has daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, with the star – explained Bruce has anosognosia, a condition where the brain can’t recognise one or more health conditions the person has and is commonly seen in people with mental health disorders.

Emma said: “It’s where your brain can’t identify what is happening to it [so sufferers] think this is their normal.

“People think this might be denial, like they don’t want to go to the doctor because they’re like, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine’, actually, this is the anosognosia that comes into play. It’s not denial. It’s just that their brain is changing. This is a part of the disease.”

The Looper actor is still “very much present in his body” but as he has changed with his dementia, his entire family have adapted too.

Emma said: “We have progressed with him. We’ve adapted with him.

“He has a way of connecting with me, our children that might not be the same as you would connect with your loved one, but it’s still very beautiful.

“It’s still very meaningful. It’s just – it’s just different. You just learn how to adapt.”

In November, the 70-year-old actor’s eldest daughter, Rumer Willis – who he had with ex-wife Demi Moore – admitted Bruce doesn’t always recognise her any more, but she still feels “grateful” to be able to connect with him.

Rumer – who has 2-year-old Louetta with former partner Derek Richard Thomas – said in an Instagram stories video: “I’m so happy and grateful that I still get to go and hug him.

“I’m so grateful that when I go over there, and I give him a hug, whether he recognises me or not, that he can feel the love I’ve given him, and I can feel it back from him.

“That I still see a spark of him, and he can feel the love that I’m giving.

“So that feels really nice.

“I just feel grateful that I get to go over there with Louetta and we get to spend time with him, and I get to feel the love that he has for me, and that I can love him and be with him.”