Bruce Willis’ wife focusing on her own needs amid actor’s aphasia diagnosis
Emma Heming Willis is focusing on her own needs amid husband Bruce Willis’ ongoing battle with aphasia.
“When you put everyone’s needs above your own, no one wins,” she wrote via her Instagram Story on Tuesday.
The model, 43, continued, “I don’t do this perfectly but I really am trying so I can be the best I can be for the people I love and adore.”
Emma — who shares daughters Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, 8, with the “Die Hard” actor, 67 — recently admitted to struggling with her husband’s health news.
“I put my family’s needs above my own, which I found does not make me any kind of hero,” she told The Bump last month.
“That amount of care for everyone else within my household had taken a toll on my mental health and overall health,” she continued. “And it served no one in my family.”
Emma says she’s now learning how to “mother” herself and being intentional about “making the time for self-care” every day.
“Someone told me not long ago that when you over-care for someone, you end up under-caring for yourself,” she told The Womens Alzheimers Movement.
“That stopped me in my tracks and really resonated with me.”
Emma – along with Bruce’s ex-wife, Demi Moore, and their kids, Rumer, 33, Scout, 30, and Tallulah, 28 – released a family statement in March revealing the A-lister was retiring from acting due to his health struggles.
“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” the statement read.
“As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up,’ and together we plan to do just that.”
Aphasia is a condition that can affect a person’s ability to speak, write and understand language, with treatment including speech and language therapies, per the Mayo Clinic.
