Emma Heming Willis has issued an emotional appeal asking photographers to “keep your space” and stop “yelling” at her husband Bruce Willis after he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
The model, 44, took to Instagram to share a video voicing her concerns after the Die Hard actor, 67, was photographed over the weekend at a coffee shop with friends.
Sitting in her kitchen at home wearing pyjamas, Heming Willis – who has been married to the Hollywood superstar since 2009 and shares two children with him – said she was concerned for his safety.
She explained: “If you are someone that is looking after someone with dementia, you know how difficult and stressful it can be to get someone out into the world and just to navigate them safely.
“I’m just seeing headlines and there’s a video of my husband out, getting some coffee with some friends who did a stand-up job of protecting him.”
“So in the spirit of raising awareness around dementia, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of education that needs to be put forth.”
She continued: “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.”
She concluded her video by saying: “For the video people, please don’t be yelling at my husband, asking him how he’s doing, or the woo-hooing or the yippee-ki-yays, just don’t do it, okay?
“Give him the 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.”
Willis’ family issued a health update last month, a year after they confirmed that he was retiring from acting after initially being diagnosed with aphasia.
Daughter Rumer – from Willis’ previous marriage to Demi Moore – shared a statement shared on her Instagram page, which read: “Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis.
“In the spirit of that, we wanted to give you an update about our beloved husband, father and friend since we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing.
“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD).”
