Emma Heming Willis has marked her 17th wedding anniversary to husband Bruce Willis with a sweet social media post.
The 47-year-old former model shared a throwback photo of the Die Hard star — who is living with the rare neurodegenerative disease frontotemporal dementia (FTD) — carrying his wife as they smiled together on a beach in Turks and Caicos.
“I was made to love him. 17 years,” Heming Willis captioned the post.
The anniversary post comes days after Heming Willis, who has been married to Willis since 2009, honored the actor’s 71st birthday by asking for donations to their new charity.
“Today we celebrate Bruce’s birthday. This journey with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has opened my eyes to the realities so many families face,” she wrote. “It’s what inspired me to create The Emma & Bruce Willis Fund to raise awareness of FTD, support research, and stand beside the caregivers who carry so much every day.”
“If you’d like to honor Bruce today, please consider supporting the fund or another organization working in this space, or simply checking in on a caregiver — a small act of kindness that can mean so much.”
The actor’s family announced in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with FTD after he took a step back from acting the year prior because he had aphasia, a neurological language disorder that affects a person’s ability to understand, speak or communicate.
Heming Willis — who shares two daughters, Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11, with the actor — frequently provides updates on her husband’s health while advocating for dementia research patients and caregivers.
She announced the Emma & Bruce Willis Fund for Dementia Research and Caregiver Support last week while accepting an award at The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration’s Hope Rising Benefit in New York City. She accepted the award on her and the actor’s behalf, and spoke about the last four years as his primary caregiver.
“This journey has opened my eyes to the realities so many families face when a loved one is living with frontotemporal dementia,” she said. “I believe deeply in the importance of supporting research while also showing up for the caregivers who carry so much every day.”
“Through this fund, my hope is to help deepen understanding of FTD and ensure families facing it feel seen, supported, and less alone. Bruce has always led with generosity and heart, and I know he would be proud to see this effort helping families facing this disease.”
The fund, housed by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, works to “confront frontotemporal dementia by raising awareness, funding promising research, and supporting caregivers,” according to its website.
