Bruce Willis and his wife, Emma Heming, are celebrating their 18th anniversary of when they first became an official couple. Emma took to Instagram on December 30 to share a sweet tribute that featured a throwback photograph of the pair.
The black-and-white photograph captured Bruce, dressed in a white shirt, gently kissing Emma on the head as they sat side by side. Emma looked striking in an all-black ensemble, her dark hair styled in soft waves.
Alongside the image, she penned: "18 years ago, he became my boyfriend. With one kiss on the top of my head, time stood still. I’m so lucky to know this kind of love."
The couple tied the knot back in December 2009 and share two daughters – Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. Bruce was previously married to Demi Moore from 1987 to 2000, during which time they welcomed daughters Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31. Demi, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah still remain close with Bruce, and also share strong relationships with Emma, Mabel and Evelyn.
Emma's touching tribute comes after a difficult year for the family as Bruce's health continues to deteriorate. The actor was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, followed by frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD) in 2023.
Symptoms typically start between the ages of 40 and 65, but Frontotemporal Degeneration – the condition named in doctors' updated prognosis for Bruce – is the most common form of dementia for people under 60, and there are no treatments for the disease. FTD affects men and women equally, and there are no treatments for the disease.
"FTD occurs when abnormal proteins accumulate and clump together in brain cells called neurons," the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration's website reads. It is also thought that "a subset of familial FTD cases are genetic, or hereditary, in nature. They occur when a parent passes a genetic variant associated with FTD to their child".
Symptoms of FTD start gradually and progress steadily, and often include dramatic behavioral changes such as swearing, impaired judgment, emotional withdrawal from others, loss of energy, and less frequent speech.
Back in September, Emma opened up about her role as the actor's caregiver. Emma recalled the moment the couple left the doctor's office after Bruce's diagnosis in 2023. "I had no hope, no road map, no guidance," she admitted. "Caregivers are so unseen. I had to dig so deep to find the support."
Bruce's wife also addressed her family's living arrangement, with the Die Hard star residing separately from her and their daughters Mabel and Evelyn . "It was a hard decision for us but that was the safest and best decision, not just for Bruce but also for our two young girls," she explained. "It’s really not up for a debate." She continued: "I’m not going to take a vote on that. Now I know that Bruce has the best care, 100 percent of the time. His needs are met 100 percent of the time."
Emma detailed her experience of being a caregiver and urged the need for them to feel seen. "Caregivers are so judged," she explained. "It just goes to show that people sometimes have an opinion versus really having the experience. You have to do what is right for your family and what is going to keep your loved ones safe as well as your young children."