Emma Heming Willis has three words for the paparazzi hounding her husband, Bruce Willis: Keep your space.
Heming Willis, 44, posted what she called a “PSA” on Instagram on Saturday morning after photographers snapped pics of the “Die Hard” actor, 67, on a coffee run with friends in Santa Monica, California, two days prior.
“If you are someone that is looking after someone with dementia, you know how difficult and stressful it can be to get someone out into the world and just to navigate them safely, even just to get a cup of coffee,” Heming Willis said in the video. “And I’m just seeing headlines, and there’s a video of my husband out getting some coffee with some friends that did a stand-up job of protecting him. … So in the spirit of raising awareness around dementia, it’s clear there’s still a lot of education that needs to be put forth.”
She went on: “This one is going out to the photographers and the video people that are trying to get those exclusives of my husband out and about: Just keep your space. I know this is your job, but maybe just keep your space. For the video people, please don’t be yelling at my husband, asking him how he’s doing or whatever — the ‘woohoo’-ing and the ‘yippee ki-yays’ — just don’t do it, OK? Give him his space. Allow for our family or whoever’s with him that day to be able to get him from point A to point B safely. That’s my PSA.”
Heming Willis — who married Willis in 2009 and has two daughters with the Golden Globe winner — also asked Instagram followers for guidance. “To other caregivers or dementia care specialist[s] navigating this world… Any tips or advice on how to get your loved ones out in the world safely?” she wrote in the clip’s caption.
In March 2022, Willis’ family announced that he was “stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him” after being diagnosed with aphasia, which they said was affecting his cognitive abilities.
This February, the family told supporters that Willis’ condition had progressed and that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces,” they wrote. “While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”