While fans of Bruce Willis have been given updates on his deteriorating health by his doting family, for those who haven’t had to deal with the devastating reality of dementia, it’s hard to fathom what life looks like for Bruce’s brood behind-closed-doors.
But last fortnight, Bruce’s wife of 16 years, Emma Heming Willis, bravely opened up about the experience that she and the couple’s young daughters – Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11 – have been navigating, revealing for the first time that Bruce is now living in a separate home where his carers can provide round-the-clock care.
‘Bruce would want that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs,’ she told Diane Sawyer for a live special with US channel, ABC, adding that he would have wanted them to enjoy normal things like sleepovers and having their friends over.
Former model Emma, 47, also revealed that Bruce, 70, who was recently spotted smiling while out at a car wash in LA, is now unable to speak through language, and how they have been forced to find other ways to communicate with him.
It’s undoubtedly been a heartbreaking decision for the family and Emma, who has previously described Bruce’s 2023 diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) [a neuro-degenerative which attacks the brain cells which control language, behaviour and personality] as like ‘freefalling’.
And now a source tells Heat that while their family continue to care for Bruce amid his declining health, Emma has been given another huge responsibility – managing her much-loved husband's remarkable fortune, which is estimated at $250 million.
The insider, who says Emma is carrying the ‘weight of the world' on her shoulders, tells us, ‘Taking care of Bruce isn't just about keeping up his spirits and making sure he can physically get through the day, it also involves looking after the massive fortune he accrued in his decades as an A-list movie star.
‘That's a full time job unto itself and it's another thing that Emma didn't anticipate she'd be responsible for when she and Bruce first got involved, because Bruce had a giant business team taking care of that stuff at the time.
‘Now, Emma's life has become so complex because she has become the final decision-maker about all of this stuff and feels immense responsibility not just to her and Bruce's kids but to the grown daughters Bruce and Demi share.’
Demi, 62, and Bruce were married for 13 years ahead of their divorce in 2000 and share daughters Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31.
Demi has since said that she is ‘very proud’ of the way they managed the fallout of their divorce, with the pair remaining such good friends they even quarantined together as one large ‘tribe’ during the pandemic.
Updating fans on Bruce’s diagnosis back in 2023, his blended family referred to themselves as the ‘ladies of Willis/Moore’.
But now the source says that as his legal spouse, Emma is the one being forced to learn how to manage Bruce’s affairs while juggling their family life.
‘Yes, Demi has been supportive through this difficult period and she's helped with the big decisions, but maintaining Bruce's financial empire is something that Emma has to deal with every single day and Demi is way too busy with her career renaissance right now to go into the weeds with Emma about this stuff,’ the insider says.
‘In other words, Demi trusts Emma, maybe more than even Emma does. Emma's not going to squander Bruce's wealth, but she is having to learn a lot as she goes, and it's no wonder she seems to be carrying around a huge burden on her back that goes way beyond Bruce's health right now.
‘Before Bruce fell ill, he took care of everything having to do with their finances. They have business managers but there’s still a lot that needs to be done on their end. You do worry for her, even with all the support she has. Emma is somebody who needs more simplicity in her life, not less.’
After breaking into acting in 1980 with his first movie, The First Deadly Sin, Bruce’s raspy voice, good looks and unique abilities saw him become the ultimate real-life action hero when he landed the role of NYC Detective John McClane in 1988 – a standout role that would see him go on to make five Die Hard films.
The role also led to Bruce – who was also starring in iconic comedy series Moonlighting at the time – reportedly earning over $100 million dollars in the first few years of his career, making him one of the highest-paid actors of all time.
Bruce went on to make over 100 films, before poignantly filming his last action movie, Assassin, in 2021, the year before he was forced to retire following his shock diagnosis.
And the source says Emma knows just how fortunate she and Bruce’s extended family have been when it comes to finances, but they say the mum-of-two still worries over growing medical expenses and is determined to use his staggering fortune in the right way.
'Emma isn’t materialistic in the least, but she knows how lucky and blessed they are compared to other people who don’t have money to spend. Bruce is worth an incredible sum and she’s putting it to good use,’ the insider says.
‘It’s a lot for a person with little to no knowledge in financial planning to handle. But she’s learning and doing her best. She has help when she needs it and good, solid advisors on her side and there to steer her in the right direction.
'She knows they’ll all be looked after but the fact remains Bruce’s care is costing a lot more than people think and she is keeping an eye on it and not buying anything too extravagant or things they simply don’t need.’
Earlier this year, a source told us how ‘proud’ dad Bruce had always been determined to make sure his loved ones would be cared for, saying at the time, ‘It’s something Bruce is very proud of. He’s the ultimate Alpha-male, he loves to take care of his loved ones and his people, so it’s really beautiful that he’ll leave that sort of legacy.’
Now, our insider says, the weight of that responsibility lies in Emma’s hands. 'Bruce provided for his family and still is, and while his round-the-clock care is draining them of tens of thousands of dollars a month, right now the biggest focus is that Bruce has the best quality of life he can while they still have him,’ they tell us.
‘Even in his current state of health, he’s taking care of his girls, his family. They’re sitting on a legacy that he built. There’s money in the bank because of him. It’s Emma’s role to ensure her daughters with Bruce and his daughters with Demi have everything they need for years to come.’