Scout Willis and her sister Tallulah Willis are rallying around stepmom Emma Heming Willis after she gave an emotional update on Bruce Willis‘ health.
“So proud of my family @emmahemingwillis,” Tallulah, 29, wrote via her Instagram Story on Monday, September 25, after Heming Willis, 45, appeared on the Today show.
Scout, 32, shared a glimpse of Heming Willis’ interview via her own Instagram Story. “I truly could not be more proud of @emmahemingwillis for being willing to step out into the public eye, (even though it’s terrifying!!!) to share our family’s story in service of spreading awareness about FTD,” she gushed. “Emma you are such a champion for this cause and you inspire me EVERY SINGLE F–KING DAY.”
Scout went on to praise Heming Willis’ “bravery and deep deep loving,” noting, “Your courage is moving mountains.”
Heming Willis appeared on the NBC morning show as part of World Frontotemporal Dementia Awareness Week, going into detail about how Bruce’s diagnosis has impacted their family. She revealed on Monday that it’s “hard to know” whether Bruce, 68, is aware of his condition.
“What I’m learning is that dementia is hard. It’s hard on the person diagnosed,” she explained. “It’s also hard on the family, and that is no different for Bruce or myself or our girls. When they say that this is a family disease, it really is.”
In March 2022, Heming Willis joined Bruce’s ex-wife, Demi Moore, in announcing that the actor would be stepping back from the spotlight while he battled aphasia. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him,” read the statement, which was also signed by Bruce’s daughters. (He shares Scout, Tallulah and Rumer Willis with Moore, 60, and Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, 9, with Heming Willis.)
Earlier this year, Bruce’s family revealed that a “more specific diagnosis” of frontotemporal dementia was determined. “Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead,” they wrote in February.
Heming Willis noted on Monday that it was a “blessing and [a] curse” to have more clarity about her husband’s condition. “It doesn’t make it any less painful, but just being in the acceptance and just being in the know of what is happening to Bruce just makes it a little bit easier,” she explained.
Bruce’s loved ones have been candid about coping with his illness, supporting one another through the highs and lows. “He’s blessed to have them on hand,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2022. “They’re all pulling together, and that’s what matters.”
