Bruce Willis' Wife Emma Gets Emotional About The Holidays 'Tangled In A Web Of Grief'

Bruce Willis' wife poured her heart out in an emotional essay, reflecting on how she welcomed the festive season amid her husband's dementia battle.

Emma Heming Willis, who married the Hollywood veteran in 2009, has been vocal about her struggles and how she copes as a caregiver to the retired actor and their two daughters.

The confessions continued ahead of Christmas, with Bruce Willis’ wife sharing how the holidays have changed since her husband's frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. The Hollywood Walk of Fame honoree announced his retirement in 2022 due to aphasia, but was diagnosed with FTD a year later.

Bruce Willis' Wife Reveals How 'The Holidays Look Different Now'

Emma got candid with fans in an essay posted on her website titled “The Holidays Look Different Now.” She began by noting the festive season was a way of reflecting on “who we’ve been, who we are, and what we imagined they would be.”

The retired actor's wife claimed these reflections could “feel especially poignant” as a caregiver to someone with dementia. Emma explained that traditions that once felt effortless now required lots of planning, while “moments that once brought uncomplicated joy may arrive tangled in a web of grief.”

Despite these challenges, Emma stressed that the holidays weren't a time of sadness. “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 wrote.

Emma Heming Willis Says Grief Is Not Only Tied To Death

Emma implored those in similar situations not to feel bad about grieving during the holidays because “grief doesn’t only belong to death.” She shared that people could grieve in times of complex changes, particularly losing the routines they once shared with loved ones.

Emma described these moments as “the ambiguous loss caregivers know so well,” pointing out that losing the times people never thought would end was cause enough to grieve. In her case, it was losing Bruce's role as the center of the holidays in their family.

“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,” Emma recalled. She revealed that Bruce had loved the holidays and would push for family time and keep their traditions alive.

The Retired Actor's Spouse Admits She Cursed His Name From Pain

Emma confessed that losing Bruce's role during the holidays made her heart ache, and she would sometimes catch herself “cursing” his name while taking on tasks that used to be his. She stressed that she did not hate him nor was she upset, but because she missed the old him.

“I’m still allowed to feel annoyed that this is one more reminder of how things have changed,” Emma explained. She noted that for a long time she wanted the holidays to remain the same, the way Bruce always made the festive season feel; however, she realized her thoughts were wrong.

According to Emma, “flexibility isn’t giving up. It’s adapting. It’s choosing compassion and reality over perfection.” The holidays in her home could not remain the same with Bruce's dementia, but she had since learned that joy and sadness should co-exist. On that note, she declared that she would make room to grieve and be happy.

The Holidays Are Still A Joyous Occasion For The Willis Family

A month before her emotional essay, Emma opened up about how the holidays were still a cause for happiness in the Willis household. The Blast covered the story, reporting that she shared her thoughts on the festive season in an interview.

Emma explained that dealing with Bruce's dementia was challenging, but they have since learned to adapt and find reasons to be happy with the retired entertainer. “It's joyous. It's just different,” she said about their holiday celebrations.

The media personality added that it was essential to adapt and make new memories, noting that one should incorporate past traditions and find joy in different and simple settings. For example, Emma found happiness in being Bruce's wife and living in the present with him.

Bruce Willis' Wife Reignited The ‘Die Hard’ Christmas Movie Debate

While addressing their holiday celebrations in November, Emma shared that she believed it was important to watch “Die Hard” because “it’s a Christmas movie.” The Blast reported that these words reignited the debate about the genre of her husband's famous franchise.

Emma's words contradicted Bruce's 2018 statement about the beloved movie during his Comedy Central roast. At the time, the Golden Globe Award winner declared, “‘Die Hard’ is not a Christmas movie! It’s a godd-mn Bruce Willis movie.”

It seems other members of the Willis household disagreed with the patriarch, as his daughters from his first marriage shared a different narrative. In 2023, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah Willis dropped their opinions in an Instagram Story video, labeling “Die Hard” a Christmas movie because it took place during Christmas.

What will Bruce Willis’ wife share next?