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Emma Heming Willis has been by husband Bruce Willis’ side since he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2022.
The former model met Willis at their mutual trainer’s gym in 2007. She married the actor in March 2009, and welcomed their first child, Mabel Ray, in April 2012. Their second daughter, Evelyn Penn Willis, was born in May 2014.
Alongside the actor’s daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, whom he shares with ex-wife Demi Moore, Heming Willis has been advocating for awareness and research of FTD, a group of brain disorders that can lead to speech issues, loss of motor skills and personality changes.
She also founded Make Time Wellness to promote brain health for women.
“To leave there with no … nothing, just nothing. With a diagnosis I couldn’t pronounce. I didn’t understand what it was,” Heming Willis said of learning about Bruce’s diagnosis during Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey – A Diane Sawyer Special. “I was so panicked. I just remember hearing it and just not hearing anything else. It was like I was free-falling.”
When asked how Bruce reacted to his diagnosis, Emma said, “I don’t think Bruce ever connected the dots.”
Below, learn more about Heming Willis as she continues to support and advocate for her husband:
She Was Born in Malta
Heming Willis was born in Malta to a British father and a Indian-Guyanese mother. She was raised in London after her parents divorced. Eventually, she moved across the pond to California.
She Was Discovered on TV
Heming Willis was discovered in London on the show British Elle Supermodel, during which she launched her modeling career in the 1990s.
Emma won the competition and started walking the runway for a slew of major fashion houses, including Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Valentino and Giorgio Armani. She has also been the face of Dior cosmetics and appeared in various magazines like Vogue, Marie Claire and Elle.
She posed with Willis on the cover of W Magazine in a racy July 2009 photo shoot.
“Happy 50th anniversary @wmag,” Heming Willis captioned a September 2022 Instagram post. “Usually we are a pretty wholesome couple till we aren’t 😉.”
She Has Appeared in Films and TV Shows
Heming Willis has had a few acting roles in movies like Perfect Stranger (2007), The Comebacks (2007) and Red 2 (2013), as well as on the TV series Entourage.
She Founded a Vegan Beauty Brand
In 2016, Heming Willis launched a vegan, sustainably created and chemical-free skin care brand called CocoBaba.
“We were able to create a line that only utilizes the natural effectiveness of coconut oil, but does so without harmful ingredients, greasiness, or overly complicated steps,” she shared on the company’s website. “Today, CocoBaba is on bellies, boobs, and bums around the world. Now we can all enjoy some much-needed natural & unfussy luxury. After all, every body deserves to feel mothered.”
She and Willis also teamed up with LR Health & Beauty to create fragrances. In 2012, Bruce launched his first women’s fragrance, “Lovingly by Bruce Willis,” with Heming-Willis starring in the perfume’s advertisements. In 2016, she launched “Lightning Collection” in collaboration with LR Health & Beauty, consisting of three perfume compositions.
She is Set to Become an Author
Heming Willis first book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Hope and Purpose on the Caregiving Path, is set to be published by The Open Field on September 9, 2025.
The book will detail her experience caring for Willis amid his health struggles.
“Caring for yourself while caring for someone else is one of the hardest, most heartbreaking challenges you’ll ever face. It’s easy to lose your sense of self,” she wrote. “Through my own experience and insights from leading experts, I want to help care partners feel less alone, better prepared, and empowered to navigate this journey with strength and support. When you care for yourself first, you’re better able to care for your person.”
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She has also become an advocate for dementia awareness and wrote an op-ed about FTD and the lessons she has learned for Maria Shriver‘s Sunday Paper in 2023.
“I have so much more hope today than I did after Bruce was first diagnosed. I understand this disease more now, and I’m now connected to an incredible community of support,” she shared. “I have hope in having found a new purpose — admittedly one I never would have gone looking for — using the spotlight to help and empower others. And I have hope in how our entire family can find joy in the small things, and in coming together to celebrate all the moments life has to offer.”
English (US) ·