Die Hard star Bruce Willis is living away from his family in a home with round-the-clock caregivers amid dementia struggle, his wife Emma Heming Willis said in an interview recently.

“It was one of the hardest decisions that I've had to make so far,” Emma, who shares daughters Mabel Willis, 13, and Evelyn Willis, 11, with Bruce, said in the ABC special Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey.

“But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs,” she added.

The 49-year-old said that even though they don’t live together, they are “there a lot”.

“It's our second home, so the girls have their things there,” she said. “It is a house that is filled with love and warmth and care and laughter. It's been beautiful to see that — to see how many of Bruce's friends continue to show up for him. They bring in life and fun.”

Bruce's ex-wife Demi Moore and their daughters Rumer Willis, 36, Scout Willis, 33, and Tallulah Willis, 31, also visit the actor.

For Emma, the 70-year-old actor’s diagnosis of dementia has left her feeling isolated. Their daughters were also affected emotionally.

“I felt like what we were going through as a family, what Bruce was going through, was so singular,” she recalled. “I was definitely worried about sleeping and just making sure our house was secure. You have to think about your stove. You have to think about your freezer, refrigerator, the doors.”

Patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are prone to get triggered sometimes due to loud sounds, Emma said, adding that she has stopped hosting playdates and sleepovers for their children.

“I didn't know if parents would feel comfortable leaving their child at our home,” she explained. “Not only was I isolated, I isolated our whole family. The girls were isolated, too, and that was by design. I was doing that. That was a hard time. That was a really hard time.”

However, Emma, who is undergoing treatment for depression, said she is grateful for the little things.

“When we are with him, he lights up,” she mentioned. “He's holding our hands, we're kissing him. We're hugging him. He is reciprocating. He is into it,” she added.

“That's all I need,” she further said. “I don't need him to know that I am his wife, we were married on this day. I don't need any of that. I just want to feel that I have a connection with him, and I do.”

Bruce retired from acting in 2022 after a diagnosis of aphasia, which was later revealed to be frontotemporal dementia. He last appeared in the 2023 sci-fi action film Assassin. The film, originally titled Die Like Lovers, was released in March 2023 and marks the final acting role for the veteran actor.