From love at first bench press to finding strength in the face of a difficult diagnosis,
here’s how Bruce and Emma Willis are navigating life, love, and one big, blended family.
Emma Heming Willis' birthplace is Malta, but after her parents split,
she and her mother packed their bags and headed to London to build a new
life for themselves. This is where her modeling career began. Emma wrote on
her website that after winning a London modeling competition in the early '90s,
she began traveling the globe and walking runways for Dior, Valentino, Chanel, and other luxury
labels. She eventually settled down in California with the first man she thought she would marry.
When Bruce Willis first laid eyes on her in 2005, she was engaged to Brent Bolthouse,
a successful Hollywood nightclub promoter who appeared on "The Hills." Bruce was visiting a
gym owned by a friend, celebrity fitness guru Gunnar Peterson,
when he saw Emma leaving. In a 2009 appearance on "The Late Show," he recalled:
"She was walking out and I said, 'Gunnar, let me just say one thing to you. Wow! Who is that?'"
Bruce eventually got acquainted with Emma, but because she had a fiancé,
he remained in the friendzone… until Emma and Bolthouse split
in 2007. Emma planned on moving to New York City after the breakup,
but Bruce convinced her to go on a date with him mere days before she left LA. He told W magazine:
"Then we fell mad crazy in love."
While Bruce Willis quickly forged a bond with Emma Heming Willis,
he had expected to stay single after his divorce from Demi Moore.
"Are you looking for a life partner? Are you hoping to stay—"
"I don't think I'll get married again."
But Emma made him realize what he was missing out
on during his stubbornly single era. He admitted to W magazine:
"I would say, 'I'm alone, but I'm not lonely.' But I was just kidding myself.
Then I started hanging around Emma, and on a day-to-day basis my life became much happier."
Bruce and Emma tied the knot for the first time in March 2009,
inviting some of their loved ones to celebrate with them at the property Bruce owned on the
islands of Turks and Caicos. According to Bruce's close friend Robert Kraft,
the love his three daughters have for him was evident at the wedding reception. Kraft told W:
"The speeches those girls gave about their dad were brilliantly emotional."
Upon returning to Los Angeles,
Bruce and Emma celebrated their union a second time with a civil marriage ceremony.
When Emma met Bruce, his youngest daughter at the time, Tallulah Willis, was already 12 years old.
So there was a bit of an age gap between Mabel Ray Willis and her stepsisters when she joined
the family on April 1, 2012. Bruce was a parenting pro by then, and his goal was to raise Mabel to
be caring, compassionate, and considerate. He told Candis a few months after Mabel's birth:
"You have to give them a code. Beginning with things like 'Don't bite people!'
That then becomes something like 'It's not okay to be mean. Ever.'"
But Bruce was no strict disciplinarian; he also kept his kids entertained by assuming
the role of a comedian at home. In a 2013 interview with That Shelf, he quipped:
"They're a pretty captive audience, you know. They can't run away from you
even if they don't like your jokes. [...] I love to make my kids laugh,
and I still do the dumbest things possible to make 'em laugh."
On May 5, 2014, he gained another appreciative audience member: daughter Evelyn Penn Willis.
After she stopped modeling, Emma Heming Willis had a difficult time deciding
on a new career to pursue. But when she experienced motherhood for the first time,
she had a lightbulb moment. She told The Local Moms Network:
"I was using coconut oil and loved it and when Mabel was
two months old I had this idea for CocoBaba."
Emma decided to give her skincare routine an overhaul after getting pregnant. Being
a mom-to-be made her more conscious of what she was putting on her body.
"I just at the time didn't really see anything on the
market that I felt safe and confident in using."
She'd learned about the versatility of all-natural coconut oil from her
mother and grandmother. She wrote for CocoBaba:
"I'm really prone to stretch marks, yet it got me through two pregnancies stretch-mark free."
What Emma didn't like about the oil was the inconvenient container it came in.
This inspired her to create her own line of products specifically designed for pregnant
women to use on their changing skin. In addition to making packaging improvements,
she consulted experts who created formulas that were less greasy than the oil alone.
It was also of utmost importance to her that the products only contained safe ingredients.
While Emma cares deeply about her business,
it's not her biggest passion in life by a long shot. She told The Local Moms Network:
"I want to focus on the things that bring me joy — my family,
making sure I'm healthy and feeling good. Then beneath that comes business."
Emma Heming Willis told W magazine that being in
a relationship with someone with kids was new territory for her,
but Bruce Willis' daughters welcomed her with open arms — as did Demi Moore. Emma said:
"I've been really blessed because from day one it's been comfortable and fun."
It helped that Bruce and his ex-wife remained on good terms after their split;
Moore has even joined Bruce and Emma on a few fun family vacations.
Emma told The Local Moms Network that she's heard her fair share of horror stories about
resentful ex-wives who make living in harmony as a blended family an impossibility. But Moore made
sure that she didn't have to worry about discord or division. Emma told Us Weekly:
"She welcomed me into her family like I welcomed her into ours. [...] I have so much respect
for how Bruce and Demi worked through their divorce to be able to put their children first."
"Demi and I both took the high road and our children are much better for it."
Moore returned the love on International Women's
Day in 2021. She paid tribute to Emma on Instagram, writing:
"Her drive, determination and passion is uplifting and the woman that she is absolutely inspiring."
Moore revealed that she considers Emma family,
and the pair certainly looked the part in a 2022 holiday photo with Bruce and their daughters.
When Emma and Bruce celebrated a decade of marriage in 2019,
they decided to mark the milestone with a vow renewal ceremony. Their daughters,
Mabel and Evelyn, were given important roles to play at the event. Emma told Us Weekly:
"It was really for them, to be able to be flower girls,
for them to be a part of something that feels kind of monumental."
Bruce's daughters from his previous marriage were in attendance,
as was Demi Moore herself — who Emma said she wouldn't have done the ceremony without.
Emma revealed that Mabel and Evelyn were excited not just because they'd
been asked to participate in the ceremony, but because they
got to spend time with their stepsisters. While speaking to The Local Moms Network,
she revealed that she'd developed her own special bond with her stepdaughters, saying:
"Now they're women, and I can have these incredible conversations
with them. Those relationships have really evolved over time."
After Emma and Bruce went public with their relationship in 2009,
a source told Page Six that they first met when Bruce asked for models to be cast as
minor characters in his 2007 thriller "Perfect Stranger." Bruce, however,
insists that the first time he met Emma was at a gym. While Emma did score a small part in
"Perfect Stranger," the couple told W magazine that they'd already become friends by then.
According to Bruce, one thing he liked about Emma was that she wasn't pursuing
an acting career. She did, however, later appear alongside him in the
2013 action-comedy "Red 2." Her character, an administrative employee at an FBI facility,
receives a compliment on her blazer — and is shot and killed moments later.
"You know what, I didn't get your name."
"Oh it's Kelly."
"Hi Kelly."
During a press conference for "Red 2," Bruce bragged about getting to kiss two separate
women in the movie, but said that Emma was totally fine with his on-screen lip-locks
with co-stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mary-Louise Parker. He did apparently
feel the need to defend those steamy scenes before shooting them, though:
"You say, 'Look, it's right in the script.'"
At the start of the pandemic, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, and Emma Heming Willis decided
that the best place for their blended family to quarantine together was at Moore's Idaho
estate. But when Moore shared an Instagram photo of her lockdown crew posing together
in matching green-and-white striped PJs, a few key members were missing: Emma and her daughters.
In an April 2020 appearance on the "Dopey" podcast, Scout Willis explained the trio's
absence. She revealed that her stepsister Evelyn was at a park when she came across a hypodermic
needle on the ground and made a mistake that had to be nightmarish for her parents. Scout recalled:
"She actually tried to poke her shoe with it and poked her foot."
Emma had to take her daughter to the doctor to get tested for the whole host of horrible
things that can lurk on the tip of a discarded syringe. While awaiting
the test results, she decided to stay in Los Angeles with both of her daughters.
By early May 2020, Emma and the girls had made it to Idaho. She shared an Instagram
video of Evelyn learning to ride a bike without training wheels as her dad and older sisters
cheered her on. Emma celebrated her birthday the following month. She posted a pic of Moore
preparing to light the candles on her birthday cake during a family picnic and captioned it:
"It really was a happy birthday for me."
"We have a great foundation, my husband makes me
laugh. I think that's sort of the key to our relationship."
When Bruce Willis was still basking in the warm glow of newlywed bliss in 2009,
he told W magazine that his intense feelings for Emma Heming Willis made it difficult for
him to go to work saving the world from asteroids, aliens, etcetera. He gushed:
"I don't want to be away from Emma at all. It's the most
singular relationship I've ever had in my life."
When the couple celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary in 2021, Emma joked
about their relationship on Instagram, writing:
"Boy I sure do love this guy to the moon and back! Even though there's been times
I would have loved to take him to the moon, drop him off, and come back solo!"
Luckily, Bruce can handle a good-natured ribbing. Demi Moore joked about her failed
marriage to the action star during his Comedy Central Roast in 2018,
and Emma told Closer Weekly that one of the things she loves most about Bruce is his sense of humor.
"I was married to Bruce Willis for the first three 'Die Hard' movies.
Which makes sense, because the last two sucked."
Bruce's playful side is also a hit with their kids. Emma told The Local Moms Network:
"I like that he likes to have fun. He's the one out there making [snowmen], sledding and swimming.
He's fun and active, and I am too — I take them places — but he's the rough and tumble dad."
In a March 2022 Instagram post, Emma Heming Willis shared the sad news that Bruce Willis
had been diagnosed with aphasia. Symptoms of the condition include impaired speech and difficulty
following conversations. Those with the disorder may also struggle to read and write. Emma wrote:
"As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has
meant so much to him. This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of
your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit."
Watching a loved one experience cognitive decline is never easy, and in August 2022,
Emma revealed that she was doing her best to keep herself distracted and busy with hobbies such as
painting, gardening, and exercising. Although she appeared happy and focused in a video that
showed her performing these activities, she revealed that she was hurting inside:
"My grief can be paralyzing but I'm learning how to live along side it.
As my step-daughter @scoutlaruewillis told me,
grief is the deepest and purest form of love. I hope you find some comfort in that too."
In February 2023, Emma shared on Instagram that Bruce had been given
the more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, or FTD.
FTD's symptoms include personality changes, apathy, and difficulty with
decision-making and communication. The family released a full statement on the
website for the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration's website, which read, in part:
"Bruce has always found joy in life — and has helped everyone he knows to do the same. It
has meant the world to see that sense of care echoed back to him and to all of us. [...] We
know in our hearts that — if he could today — he would want to respond by bringing global
attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease."
After sharing Bruce Willis' aphasia diagnosis on Instagram, Emma Heming
Willis started taking her followers on a trip down memory lane with throwback
photos and videos of some of her husband's happiest moments. One of them was Bruce's
joint performance of "Under the Boardwalk" with The Temptations. Her video served as a reminder
that Bruce pursued a music career in 1987 and released an album titled "The Return of Bruno."
When she shared the video to her Instagram Story, Emma added the words,
"He's my North Star." She also posted it to her feed and revealed that one
thing she's always loved about her husband is his fearlessness:
"This guy has always been led by his passion and has never let naysayers stop him from, well,
anything. And I have so much respect, love and admiration for that man because of it."
In August 2022, Emma revealed that Bruce's love of music hadn't been dimmed by his
diagnosis. She shared a video of the actor showing off his harmonica skills
during a jam session with Rumer Willis' boyfriend, musician Derek Richard Thomas.
While Emma Heming Willis has been careful to respect Bruce Willis' privacy after sharing
his diagnoses, she's decided not to leave his fans completely in the dark about his health.
In a February 2023 Instagram post, she assured her followers that she was seeking out the
best help available, including the expertise of dementia care specialist Teepa Snow. Emma wrote:
"She's a loving, compassionate and skilled leader
in this space who navigates herself with pure empathy."
In response to the post, Snow praised Emma for making sure
that Bruce's living space was meeting his needs.
Bruce and Emma were living in Brentwood Park, California,
as of March 2023. According to Page Six, they started selling some of their other
properties in anticipation of Bruce retiring and bringing in less income. These included
their vacation home in Turks and Caicos, their Westchester, New York residence,
and their ranch in Sun Valley, Idaho. A source said of the $65 million in property sales:
"He knew that he wouldn't eventually need multiple estates and apartments to travel between,
and that he would instead need to live in a safe environment surrounded by his family."
Emma Heming Willis has learned the art of the verbal smackdown, as demonstrated by the way
she clapped back at those who criticized her for sharing her thoughts about grief.
On her Instagram Story, Emma shared a screenshot of a cruel comment that
suggested she needed to stop talking about her struggles on social media. It read:
"When you marry an old man DECADES older than you are, you become their
caregivers. That's what you signed up for deal with it and stop complaining."
Emma fired back:
"In the words of the great, philosophical, insightful Bruce Willis ... 'Ah, f--- em.'"
She was also accused of using her husband's FTD diagnosis to clout chase,
but she shared her thoughts about this in a March 2023 Instagram video, saying:
"I'm always going to advocate for my husband."
"And while I'm at it, I'm going to raise awareness about FTD, and for caregivers,
who are unsung heroes out there. So, watch this space, because I didn't come to play."
Emma also took aim at the paparazzi in an Instagram Reel. When Bruce stepped out to
grab a cup of coffee with some friends, overly eager photogs started to shout at
him. Emma shamed them for showing a lack of compassion and respect.
"Give him space."
In March 2023, Radar claimed that Demi Moore had moved in with Bruce and Emma to serve as
a source of support for her ex-husband and his wife. According to a source:
"Demi has been a rock for the family and is determined to make
sure every day Bruce has left on earth will be filled with love."
But while Bruce and his wife might be friendly with his ex,
Emma refuted the story that they were all cohabitating, writing in an Instagram story:
"Let's nip this one in the bud. This is so dumb. Please stop."
Amid the stress of dealing with internet trolls, invasive photographers,
and false gossip, Bruce and Moore's blended family had cause to celebrate in December
2022 when Rumer Willis announced that she and her boyfriend, Derek Richard Thomas,
were expecting their first child. Their joyful news meant that Bruce and Moore would
soon get to celebrate being first-time grandparents. An insider told People:
"He is happy about becoming a grandpa. He loves having a big family."
No matter what the future brings, the Willis-Moore clan will always have
Bruce's wise words to guide them. He said in a 2007 "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" interview:
"Here's the trick: Try not to take your time on earth for granted. Death waits
for us all. The only answer is to get out there and live each day."