Bruce Willis' Wife Emma Heming Gives Devastating Update on Family's Christmas Plans Amid 'Dying' Actor's Dementia Battle
Emma Heming reflected on how the holidays have forever changed amid Bruce Willis' dementia battle.
Dec. 22 2025, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Emma Heming shared how difficult the holiday season has become with "dying" husband Bruce Willis' progressively worsening dementia, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The former model, 47, gave an update on how things are going, knowing Willis, 70, won't be in the family home this year for Christmas after being moved into a separate house where he is receiving 24-hour care.
Bruce Willis Was 'The Center' of Christmas Celebrations
Emma Heming recalled how much Willis loved the holiday season and the traditions they shared.
"For me, the holidays carry memories of Bruce being at the center of it all. He loved this time of year – the energy, family time, the traditions. He was the pancake-maker, the get-out-in-the-snow-with-the-kids guy, the steady presence moving through the house as the day unfolded," Heming reminisced in a blog post about happier times with her husband and their two daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11.
"There was comfort in the routine of knowing exactly how the day would go, especially since I’m a creature of habit. Dementia doesn’t erase those memories. But it does create space between then and now. And that space can ache," she told readers.
Heming previously revealed in September that her husband's frontotemporal dementia had advanced to a level where she was no longer able to be his primary caregiver, and that Bruce was living separately from the family.
Living in a 'Web of Grief'
Heming described how holiday traditions changed because of Willis' dementia.
"Traditions that once felt somewhat effortless require planning – lots of planning. Moments that once brought uncomplicated joy may arrive tangled in a web of grief. I know this because I’m living it," Heming explained of her current holiday plans.
"Yet despite that, there can still be meaning. There can still be warmth. There can still be joy. I’ve learned that the holidays don’t disappear when dementia enters your life. They change," she described.
'There Will Be Tears'
In 2024, Heming shared a video showing how she and her daughters decorated their Christmas tree together.
"This holiday season, our family will still unwrap gifts and sit together at breakfast. But instead of Bruce making our favorite pancakes, I will," Heming said of how things will be different around her household.
"We’ll put on a holiday movie. There will be laughter and cuddles," she predicted about plans with her girls.
"And there will almost certainly be tears because we can grieve and make room for joy. The joy doesn’t cancel out the sadness. The sadness doesn’t cancel out the joy. They coexist."
The Malta native reassured other families with a loved one struggling with a cognitive disorder, "There is no single 'right' way to move through this time of year when dementia is part of your life. There is only your way. And that is enough."
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'I Miss Him'
Heming shared a video riding a rollercoaster with the actor in 2008, saying how much she misses him.,
Heming's sage advice about adjusting to a new normal at the holidays when a loved one has dementia came after she shared a heartfelt memory of herself and Bruce in happier times.
The Unexpected Journey author shared a never-before-seen video from 17 years ago, a year before the couple married, riding a corkscrew rollercoaster together as the Die Hard star gave a rollicking commentary.
"I took the kids to Magic Mountain yesterday with friends. Our last ride was Viper, and wow, I remembered it being a lot more fun than it actually was," she recalled in the caption.
"But the last time I rode it was with Bruce, back in 2008. And that time was FUN."
"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to bring a camera on those rides, but I'm so glad he did. His commentary. His laugh. He always made everything fun," Heming wrote longingly. "That was him, pure fun. I love him. And simply, I miss him being my ride companion."
