The Tragic Reason Bruce Willis' Wife Moved Him To A Separate Home Amid Dementia Battle

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More tragic details surrounding Bruce Willis and his family continue to surface since the Hollywood legend was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023. In August 2025, Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, sat down with Diane Sawyer to open up about her journey as a caregiver, which she has documented in her book, "The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path." During her talk with Sawyer for a special on ABC, Heming Willis revealed that she and the rest of the Willis family decided to place the "Die Hard" star in a "second home," where he can stay with his 24-hour professional care team.

"It was one of the hardest decisions that I've had to make so far," Heming Willis said. "But I knew, first and foremost, that Bruce would want that for our daughters." The model discovered that noise would aggravate Willis' symptoms, prompting their household to become incredibly quiet. That meant no playdates or sleepovers for her and Willis' two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn. "I didn't know if parents would feel comfortable leaving their child at our home," Heming Willis explained. Thus, to ensure her children got a flourishing social life, she arranged for a separate living space for Bruce that was close by, where the family could visit often.

After the Diane Sawyer special aired, the topic of Bruce Willis' living situation sparked a back-and-forth online, with many leaving comments on her social media that she should reconsider. But Emma Heming Willis — whose life has been turned upside down since her husband's diagnosis — has publicly defended her decision, letting people know that it is a non-negotiable subject. Speaking to Michael Strahan on "Good Morning America" in September 2025, Heming Willis affirmed that it was "the safest and best decision, not only for Bruce, but also for our two young girls." She added that the separate living situation has met the needs of Bruce, her children, and herself. "So, I'm not going to take a vote on that."

In her book, Heming Willis also detailed how the arrangement can prepare her and Willis' daughters for his eventual death. According to The Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration, the duration of living with the disease can range from 2 to 20 years after the initial diagnosis. "I know how dark and jarring that sounds," Heming Willis wrote (via the New York Post), "but that is the harsh reality of the world I must navigate to continue to protect our girls the best way I can."