Emma Heming Willis went into detail about the health of her husband, actor Bruce Willis, and confirmed that the “Die Hard” star is unaware that he suffers from frontotemporal dementia or FTD.

On the latest episode of her “Conversations with Cam” podcast, mental health advocate Cameron Rogers asked Heming Willis if people like her husband are aware that they are experiencing FTD.

“I think they think this is normal,” Heming Willis responded. “And it’s not for everyone, but… there’s this term, this neurological condition that comes with FTD and also other types of dementia, called anosognosia, where the brain can’t identify what’s happening to it.”

Heming Willis added: “So when people think this might be denial, like they don’t want to go to the doctor because they say, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine’. This is actually the anosognosia that comes into play. It’s not denial, it’s just your brain changing. This is part of the illness.”

Willis was performing regularly before his family suddenly announced in 2022 that he would permanently retire due to aphasia, a disorder that affects memory and communication. His family, including his ex-wife Demi Moore and their children, confirmed that he had FTD a year later.

According to the Mayo Clinic, FTD is not a specific disease, but rather a general term for a group of brain disorders resulting from neuronal damage in the frontal and temporal lobes. It can cause emotional problems and unusual behavior, and there is no known cure. Once symptoms begin, the average life expectancy of FTD patients is seven to 13 years.

Bruce Willis and Emma Heming Willis, seen here attending Comedy Central
Bruce Willis and Emma Heming Willis, seen here attending Comedy Central’s “Roast Of Bruce Willis” in 2018.

Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

Heming Willis, a former model who married Willis in 2009, has shared on social media over the years how difficult her everyday situation can be, but she revealed on the podcast that her husband’s anosognosia has also provided her with unexpected comfort along the way.

Anosognosia is often described bluntly as “lack of insight,” as sufferers are unable to recognize their own physical or cognitive limitations, according to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. The condition is a common symptom of FTD.

“I think that’s the blessing and the curse of this,” he said. “Bruce never realized. He never connected the dots that he had this disease. And I’m very happy about that. I’m very happy that he doesn’t know.”

Heming Willis also shared that her husband’s condition has made “slow progression” and noted that his blended family has “progressed along with him.”

“So when someone says to me, ‘Bruce still knows who you are?’ Yes, it does,” he explained.

“Because he doesn’t have Alzheimer’s; he has FTD. He has a way of connecting with me, with our children, that may not be the same way you would connect with your loved one, you know, but it’s still very beautiful, it’s still very meaningful, it’s just different.”