Standing up for herself. Emma Heming shut down claims that she’s using husband Bruce Willis’ dementia battle for clout.
“I just saw something about me getting my ‘five minutes’ [of fame], which is great — which means that you’re listening,” the model, 44, said in a Wednesday, March 8, Instagram video.
She continued: “So, I’m going to take my five minutes and I’m gonna turn it into 10 because I’m always going to advocate for my husband.”
Heming — who has been married to the Sixth Sense actor, 67, since 2009 — pledged to raise awareness about her husband’s disease and shine a light on caregivers, whom she called “unsung heroes.”
The Malta native ended the video by stating that people can expect to hear a lot more from her.
“I’m going to turn my grief and my anger and my sadness into something good around something that feels less than. So, watch this space because I didn’t come to play,” she said.
Willis’ 31-year-old daughter Scout — whom he shares with ex-wife Demi Moore — voiced her support for her stepmom in the comments, writing, “HELL YES! I am so so proud of you!”
The Die Hard star’s family shared an update about his health last month after initially announcing his aphasia diagnosis in March 2022.
“As a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the past ten months,” Moore, 60 — who was married to Willis from 1987 to 2000 — wrote via Instagram in February.
The G.I. Jane actress noted that the update came from her ex-husband’s entire family, including Heming and his five daughters — Rumer, 34, Scout and Tallulah, 29, whom he shares with Moore, and Mabel, 10 and Evelyn, 8, whom he shares with Heming.
The General Hospital alum explained that Willis’ diagnosis had been updated to frontotemporal dementia (FTD), calling it a “cruel disease” that can “strike anyone.”
Moore and the Pulp Fiction actor have maintained a close friendship over the years as they coparent their three daughters.
“Demi and the kids … rally round Bruce, whom she still adores, and it really touches her soul how loving and selfless their kids have been toward their dad as he copes with his situation the best he possibly can,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month.
The insider added that Willis’ blended clan is “a family who are as close and respectful toward each other as you could imagine.”
Despite the strong support system, the Golden Globe winner’s health battle has been tough on his loved ones.
“I put my family’s needs above my own, which I found does not make me any kind of hero,” Heming admitted during a May 2022 interview with The Bump. “That amount of care for everyone else within my household had taken a toll on my mental health and overall health. And it served no one in my family.”
The Perfect Stranger actress added that she has since learned to make her own wellbeing a priority by finding time to exercise.
“It’s a time I can disconnect and can do something that I know makes me feel good overall,” she explained. “I think it’s important to find that one thing that makes you feel good and build from there.”
