Emma Heming Willis shares how the family celebrates the holidays after Bruce Willis’ dementia diagnosis

Emma Heming Willis discussed how her family experiences holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas while her husband, Bruce Willis, faces dementia. In an interview with People published on November 27, the 47-year-old model emphasized that they have learned to adapt and maintain joy in these celebrations, despite the changes. “Bruce loved Christmas, and we love celebrating it with him. It’s just different now, so we’ve adapted to that,” Heming Willis said during the End Well 2025 conference in Los Angeles. She added: “You have to learn, adapt, and create new memories, keep the same traditions as before. Life goes on, it just goes on. Dementia is difficult, but there is still joy in it. I think it’s important that we don’t paint such a negative picture of dementia. We still laugh. There is still joy. It just looks different.” Bruce Willis was first diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022. The following year, it was reported that his condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia, a progressive brain disease that affects communication, behavior, and mobility. Bruce’s daughter, Rumer Willis, 37, also shared updates on her father’s health on Instagram. During a Q&A session, Rumer expressed: “I am so happy and grateful to be able to still go and hug him. That I still see a spark in him, and he can feel the love I am giving him.” Emma Heming Willis said that, as the disease progressed, Bruce was moved to a second residence with permanent care. “It was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make so far,” she said during an ABC special titled Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey – A Diane Sawyer Special. She added: “But I knew, above all, that Bruce would want that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home more adapted to their needs, not his.” In her memoir, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, published in September, Heming Willis shared how the second residence has helped the family manage the situation and maintain Bruce’s quality of life.