Emma Willis on Holiday Grief with Bruce: 'You Can Miss What Was and Still Show Up for What Is'

Emma Heming Willis, wife of actor Bruce Willis, is opening up about the complex mix of grief and joy she's navigating this holiday season while caring for her husband amid his battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

In a candid essay published this past Saturday on her website, titled "The Holidays Look Different Now," the 47-year-old shared how her family's traditions have shifted since Bruce, 70, was diagnosed.

"The holidays have a way of holding up a mirror, reflecting who we’ve been, who we are, and what we imagined they would be," Emma wrote. "When you’re caring for someone with dementia, that reflection can feel especially poignant. Moments that once brought uncomplicated joy may arrive tangled in a web of grief. I know this because I’m living it."

Emma, who shares daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, with Bruce, detailed the specific ways the season feels different. She recalled how Bruce was always "at the center of it all," the one making pancakes and playing with the kids in the snow.

Now, she finds herself taking on his old roles, admitting she "harmlessly curses Bruce's name while wrestling with the holiday lights." It's not because she's mad, but because she misses him. "I miss the way he once led the holiday charge," she explained. "Yes, he taught me well, but I’m still allowed to feel annoyed that this is one more reminder of how things have changed."

She offered a powerful message of support to other caregivers who might be feeling a similar combination of grief and annoyance. "You’re not doing the holidays wrong," she affirmed. "You’re responding honestly to a very real loss. You can miss what was and still show up for what is."

This year, she said, she will be the one making the family's favorite pancakes. "There will be laughter and cuddles," she wrote. "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."

Bruce Willis was first diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, which his family announced had progressed to a more specific diagnosis of FTD in 2023. There is currently no cure for the disease.