Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, has called on the paparazzi to keep their distance and stop yelling when they see the “Die Hard” star in public.
Hemming Willis made an emotional plea in a video shared on his Instagram page over the weekend, saying there is “still a lot of education to be done” about people living with dementia.
Recalling a recent incident in which photographers attempted to talk to the ailing actor as he made a rare public appearance to meet friends for coffee in Santa Monica, the 44-year-old model said that “somebody How difficult and stressful it can be to pull out.” in the world and to navigate them safely.
“This is going out to the photographers and video people who are trying to take out those specialties of my husband: Just keep your space,” she said in the clip. “I know it’s your job, but maybe just keep your space.”
She added, “For the video people, please don’t yell at my husband asking how he’s doing or whatever – ‘woohoo’-ing and ‘yippie kee-yes’… just don’t do it.” OK? Give him his space. Allow our family or whoever is with him that day to be able to get him from point A to point B safely.
Hemming Willis added to the video’s caption: “For other caregivers or dementia care specialists navigating this world… any tips or advice on getting your loved ones out into the world safely? Please share below.” Do it.
Heming Willis and Willis, 67, married in 2009 and have two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn.
Their request comes weeks after Willis’ family announced that his speech disorder, aphasia, had progressed to a form of dementia called frontotemporal dementia, or FTD.
“Today there is no cure for the disease, a reality that we hope may change in the years to come. As Bruce’s condition progresses, we anticipate that any media attention focused on the disease will be concentrated, which requires more awareness and research,” he said in an update shared online last month.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, FTD “refers to a group of disorders caused by progressive nerve cell loss in the brain’s frontal lobes (the areas behind your forehead) or its temporal lobes.” These areas of the brain are commonly associated with personality, behavior, and language.