Emma Heming shut down the narrative that she’s using her husband Bruce Willis’ diagnosis for her own “five minutes” of fame.
Heming, who has been married to the “Die Hard” actor since 2009, has made it her mission to raise awareness for her husband’s condition after recently revealing that his battle with aphasia has developed into Frontotemporal Dementia.
“I just saw something about me getting my ‘five minutes,’ which is great, which means that you’re listening,” the mom of two said in an Instagram video shared Wednesday.
“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 vowed to “raise awareness” about the illness and “for caregivers, who are unsung heroes out there.”
“And then I’m going to turn my grief and my anger and my sadness into something good around something that feels less than,” she said, adding, “Watch this space because I didn’t come to play.”
“HELL YES! I am so so proud of you!” the actor’s daughter, Scout Willis, commented.
Last month, Willis’ family revealed in a lengthy statement that his condition has worsened.
“While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” the family said on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website.
“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone. For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know,” the family wrote.
The statement — which was signed by Heming alongside Willis’ ex-wife, Demi Moore, and all five of his daughters — also said that if the “Whole Nine Yards” star “could” respond to his situation, he would want to help spread awareness and bring “global attention and connectedness” to others suffering from the “debilitating disease.”
The actor’s family first announced he would be stepping away from acting last March after being diagnosed with aphasia — a condition that can affect a person’s ability to speak, write and understand verbal and written language.
At the time, Heming said she was grappling with “paralyzing” grief, writing, “I’m learning how to live along side [sic] it.”
The couple shares two daughters: Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, 8, while he has three daughters — Rumer, 34, Scout, 31, and Tallulah, 29 — with Moore, whom he was married to from 1987 to 2000.
