“I find myself harmlessly cursing Bruce’s name while wrestling with the holiday lights … because I miss the way he once led the holiday charge.”

Bruce Willis’ wife Emma shares ‘mix of grief’ she feels during holidays amid actor’s dementia diagnosis

"I find myself harmlessly cursing Bruce's name while wrestling with the holiday lights ... because I miss the way he once led the holiday charge."

By Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum is a staff writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2019 and is a published author. Her work has previously appeared in *TV Guide Magazine*, E! News/E! Online, *The Hollywood Reporter*, Mashable, Bustle, IGN, DCComics.com, Inverse, *The Daily Northwestern*, and more.

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December 22, 2025 4:07 p.m. ET

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Emma and Bruce Willis. Credit:

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming Willis is finding it more difficult to get into the holiday spirit amid her husband's dementia diagnosis.

On Saturday, Emma, 47, published an essay titled "The Holidays Look Different Now" on her website detailing how her own family celebrations have changed after Bruce, 70, began his battle with frontotemporal dementia.

"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. 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."

Bruce, Mabel, Evelyn, and Emma Willis.

Emma Heming Willis/Instagram

Emma, who shares two daughters (Mabel Ray Willis, 13, and Evelyn Penn Willis, 11) with Bruce, went on to explain that it's "okay to grieve," and how that grief is also mixed with a "warmth" and "joy" despite the hardships.

"I’ve learned that the holidays don’t disappear when dementia enters your life. They change," she said. "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. There was comfort in the routine of knowing exactly how the day would go, especially since I’m a creature of habit."

Emma added that "dementia doesn’t erase those memories."

"But it does create space between then and now. And that space can ache," she said. "Grief during the holidays can show up in unexpected ways. It can arrive while pulling decorations out of storage, wrapping gifts or hearing a familiar song. It can catch you off guard in the middle of a room full of people, or in the quiet moment when everyone else has gone to bed."

She said that she's not "mad" at Bruce, but still finds herself "harmlessly cursing" his name while doing holiday tasks that used to be his, like "wrestling with the holiday lights."

"Because I miss the way he once led the holiday charge," Emma added. "Yes, he taught me well, but I’m still allowed to feel annoyed that this is one more reminder of how things have changed."

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She went on to share a message of support to anyone else dealing with a loved one with dementia during the holidays who may also be "feeling that mix of grief (and yes, annoyance)."

"You’re not doing the holidays wrong," Emma said. "You’re responding honestly to a very real loss. You can miss what was and still show up for what is... This holiday season, our family will still unwrap gifts and sit together at breakfast. But instead of Bruce making our favorite pancakes, I will. And no, I can’t share the secret family recipe."

She added that "there will be laughter and cuddles," 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."

Bruce was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, which progressed to a frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in 2023. The *Die Hard* actor's family has been transparent about the challenges that come with his diagnosis — which has no treatment or cure.

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During the ABC special *Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey*, which aired over the summer, Emma shared that although Bruce is in "really great health overall," his brain "is failing him." He now lives in a separate home as she continues to be his caregiver.

"The language is going, and, you know, we've learned to adapt," she told Diane Sawyer. "And we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a ... different way."

Emma explained that there are moments when she will see a glimmer of his joyous personality shine through and be instantly taken back to a time before his diagnosis. "Not days, but we get moments," she said. "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 I just get transported."

She appeared visibly emotional as she 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."

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