Emma Heming Willis, the wife of Bruce Willis, asked paparazzi to stop yelling at her husband when they see him in public in a measured and thoughtful plea on her Instagram page over the weekend.
Heming Willis recalled a recent situation where her husband, whose speaking disorder, aphasia, progressed into a form of dementia, was meeting friends for coffee in Santa Monica. “It’s clear that there’s still a lot of education that needs to be put forth, so this one is going out to the photographers and the video people that are trying to get those ‘exclusives’ of my husband out and about, just keep your space. I know this is your job, but maybe just keep your space.”
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Heming Willis, 44, noted how stressful it is for people taking care of those with dementia to keep them safe while out in public and navigate the stresses of the world, with her Instagram caption asking people to share the video and whether any specialists have advice on getting their loved ones out in the world safely.
“For the video people, please don’t be yelling at my husband, asking him how he’s doing or whatever. The ‘woohoo’-ing and the ‘yippee ki-yays’… just don’t do it. OK? Give him his space. Allow for our family or whoever’s with him that day to be able to get him from point A to point B safely,” she pleaded.
In February, Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a year after being diagnosed with aphasia. His family said his condition worsened, leading to the “more specific diagnosis.” According to Willis’s family at the time, there aren’t any treatments, which “we hope can change in the years ahead.”
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The 67-year-old Die Hard and Sixth Sense actor stepped away from acting due to the diagnosis.
Willis and Heming Willis married in 2009 and have two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn.
