Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming reveals struggle with 'guilt' to having resources others don't amid his dementia battle - but shares message of hope

The wife of Bruce Willis has gotten candid about struggling with guilt to having resources that others don't amid her legendary actor husband's battle with dementia just a month after Moonlighting creator Glenn Gordon Caron gave a heartbreaking update that 'he's not totally verbal.'

Emma Heming, 45, opened up about being the support system to the 68-year-old retired actor and revealed that even if the process has been tough, she has been able to find herself having a much more positive outlook as her husband lives with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

The British and American model penned a powerful op-ed for Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper as she got candid while writing: 'I struggle with guilt, knowing that I have resources that others don’t. 

'When I’m able to get out for a hike to clear my head, it’s not lost on me that not all care partners can do that. When what I share about our family’s journey gets press attention, I know that there are many thousands of untold, unheard stories, each of them deserving of compassion and concern.'

Emma went on to explain that it is a bit of a double-edged sword as even if it weighs heavily on her conscience, she knows that being so open about the struggles can help others.

She continued: 'At the same time, I see that what I share matters to others who may be struggling, and in a small way makes them feel seen and understood. I want people to know that when I hear from another family affected by FTD, I hear our family’s same story of grief, loss, and immense sadness echoed in theirs. 

'It's important to me to be an advocate on behalf of those families who don’t have the time, energy, or resources to advocate for themselves.'

She ended the piece on a very strong note as she revealed that throughout the trials and tribulations the one thing that helped her move forward is faith.

Emma wrote: 'I have so much more hope today than I did after Bruce was first diagnosed. I understand this disease more now, and I’m now connected to an incredible community of support. 

'I have hope in having found a new purpose—admittedly one I never would have gone looking for—using the spotlight to help and empower others. And I have hope in how our entire family can find joy in the small things, and in coming together to celebrate all the moments life has to offer.

'I know I still have so much to learn about FTD, this community, and how research on the disease is evolving. But I’m finding my footing. As much as I grieve this experience daily—as I know so many others do—I also know that it has made me stronger than I ever thought possible.'

This comes weeks after it was revealed that Bruce is losing his 'joie de vivre' and 'language skills' amid his decline from dementia, according to a heartbreaking new update from a friend.

Last year Bruce withdrew from showbiz amid his battle with the brain condition 'aphasia,' which causes the patient's language abilities to deteriorate.

Then this March his family announced that his illness had 'progressed' and he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). 

Glenn Gordon Caron, who created Bruce's star-making 1980s sitcom Moonlighting, has now shared his experiences of visiting the movie star amid his illness.

'My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am,' said Glenn in his devastating interview with Page Six. 'He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader - he didn’t want anyone to know that - and he’s not reading now.'

Glenn, who also created the show Medium, revealed: 'All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce.' 

He added: 'When you’re with him you know that he’s Bruce and you’re grateful that he’s there, but the joie de vivre is gone.'

Bruce is currently being cared for by his wife Emma Heming, with whom he shares his two younger daughters Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, nine.

He also has three adult daughters - Rumer, 35, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 29 - with his ex-wife Demi Moore, who has stayed famously friendly with both him and Emma.

Since Bruce's battle with aphasia began, Glenn has apparently tried to pay monthly visits to him, not always successfully.

'I’m not always quite that good,' the television writer confessed: 'but I try and I do talk to him and his wife and I have a casual relationship with his three older children. I have tried very hard to stay in his life.'

Glenn shared: 'The thing that makes [his disease] so mind-blowing is if you’ve ever spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had any more joie de vivre than he.'

Bruce 'just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to its fullest,' but now he lives as though 'seeing life through a screen door.'

Moonlighting has just made its streaming debut on Hulu, and Glenn is doing the media rounds for the rollout alongside the show's leading lady Cybill Shepherd.

Bruce, then an unknown actor, shot to fame on the 1980s comedy while playing opposite Cybill, who had already enjoyed a career as a movie star in the 1970s.

The pair of them played detectives who become romantically intertwined with one another, and their sizzling chemistry has often been credited for the show's success.

Although Bruce's dementia has since advanced, Glenn managed to impart the news to him about Moonlighting bowing on Hulu.

'I know he’s really happy that the show is going to be available for people, even though he can’t tell me that,' said Glenn. 'When I got to spend time with him we talked about it and I know he’s excited.'