The Die Hard star, 70, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023 and his wife Emma Heming Willis has revealed the star is declining cognitively, even though he continues to be in “great health overall”.
In a preview clip from the forthcoming ABC special Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, Emma said: "Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce is in really great health overall, you know. It's just his brain that is failing him."
The 47-year-old model explained that Bruce - who retired from acting in 2022 after being diagnosed with the health condition aphasia - is losing his communication abilities.
Emma said: "The language is going, and, you know, we've learned to adapt. And we have a way of communicating with him, which is just... a different way."
However, the star did explain that there are moments when The Sixth Sense actor's personality shines through that allows her to go back to a period before his health problems.
She said: "Not days, but we get moments. It's his laugh, right? Like, he has such a hearty laugh. And, you know, sometimes you'll see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk, and, you know, I just get, like, transported."
An emotional Emma continued: "And it's just hard to see, because as quickly as those moments appear, then it goes. It's hard. But I'm grateful. I'm grateful that my husband is still very much here."
The star explained how she had noticed changes in Bruce's behaviour prior to his diagnosis as he would be uncharacteristically withdrawn at family gatherings.
Emma recalled: "For someone who was very talkative and very engaged, he was just a little more quiet.Â
"And when the family would get together, he would kind of just melt a little bit.
"He felt a little removed, very cold. Not like Bruce, who is very warm and affectionate. To go in the complete opposite of that was alarming and scary."
Emma - who has penned a new book titled The Unexpected Journey that is available from September - reflected on how she felt "panicked" after her husband was diagnosed with a condition she "couldn't pronounce".
She said: "I just remember hearing it and just not hearing anything else. It was like I was free-falling."
Despite his health problems in recent years, Emma is "grateful" that Bruce is still around.
The author said: "I'm grateful. I'm grateful that my husband is still very much here."
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