Emma Heming Willis offered an update on her husband Bruce Willis’ health on Tuesday, in a sneak peek of an interview with Diane Sawyer. According to Heming Willis, the actor is “in really great health overall” amid his adjusting to aphasia.
Willis was diagnosed with the cognitive disorder back in 2022, prompting him to retire from acting. According to the Mayo Clinic, aphasia “is a condition that robs you of the ability to communicate. It can affect your ability to speak, write and understand language, both verbal and written.”
In speaking to Sawyer — in a clip shared on “GMA” Tuesday morning — Heming Willis confirmed that her husband’s communication skills have changed.
“Yeah, the language is going,” she said. “And, you know, we’ve learned to adapt, and we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a different way.”
Heming Willis noted that, physically, he is still doing pretty well and is “still very mobile” with his family. “Bruce is in really great health overall, you know?” she explained. “It’s just his brain that is failing him.”
Evidence of that came earlier this year, when Willis made a rare public appearance to thank L.A. wildfire first responders. In an Instagram post recapping the moment, Heming Willis noted that Willis has long supported first responders, always taking an opportunity to thank them personally when he could.
Elsewhere in her conversation with Sawyer, Heming Willis confirmed that there are still times where she and her family get to see “Bruce again.”
“We still get those days. Not days, but we get moments,” she said. “It’s his laugh, right? Like he has such a hearty laugh. And, you know, sometimes you’ll see that twinkle in his eye or that smirk. And, you know, I just get, like, transported.”
As she spoke, Heming Willis’ voice broke as she fought back her tears for her husband. “It’s just hard to see,” she said. “Because as quickly as those moments appear, then it goes. That’s hard. But I’m grateful. I’m grateful that my husband is still very much here.”
You can watch part of Diane Sawyer’s interview with Emma Heming Willis in the video above.
