Emma Heming Willis Told The Paparazzi To Stop Distracting Bruce Willis In Public From Now On As He Struggles With Dementia
It was very unfortunate news when the announcement was made that 68-year-old Bruce Willis would be stepping back from the movie biz after his weighty diagnosis of aphasia this time last year. And worse, his family just shared last month that what was at first thought only to be aphasia had progressed and was actually part of an even tougher diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The paps have now been following Bruce, and his wife, Emma Heming Willis, wants the paparazzi to know that their tactics like yelling at and trying to get a public reaction out of him are making their life more difficult, so she’s asking for them to stop.
Emma, 45, posted an update about Bruce’s health back in February and talked about his dementia diagnosis:
According to Johns Hopkins, FTD “is a group of disorders that occur when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are lost. This causes the lobes to shrink. FTD can affect behavior, personality, language, and movement.” Obviously, this would turn anyone’s life upside-down, and Emma says she and those who care for Bruce are doing their best to get him where he needs to go safely. But after a pap shitshow during one of his rare recent outings, she decided to take to Instagram to speak of the challenges they face as they navigate Bruce’s new normal and to ask the paps to take one thing off of their plate by just giving them space and shutting the hell up so he can stay focused. via Deadline:
“It’s clear that there’s still a lot of education that needs to be put forth,” she wrote Saturday on Instagram. “So 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.”
She added, “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.”
Bruce Willis turns 68 on March 19. His wife is 45.
Here’s Emma’s plea for the swarms to stop “yippi-ki-yaying” at Bruce in their attempts to grab an exclusive:
She posted a follow-up today to thank those who’ve been supportive and clarify that she isn’t trying to battle the media but finds it ironic that the bigger outlets reporting on her pap request are the same ones sending out those loud-ass paps to catch him in a vulnerable moment:
Well, surely, as we approach the one-year anniversary of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s wedding, there will be a months-long search for the perfect vow renewal gown, followed by stops at the studio to record “Dear Ben pt. 3,” followed by a 5-day soiree, followed by a third conspicuous honeymoon to a high-visibility locale. Plus, more house hunting. Go where you’re deeply desired, paps!
Pic: ROGER WONG/INSTARimages.com