Emma Heming and Bruce Willis' two daughters – Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10 – saw their father's health “deteriorate” long before his heartbreaking dementia diagnosis.

“I never tried to sugarcoat anything for them. They grew up with the decline of Bruce over the years,” Heming, 46, said of the 69-year-old “Die Hard” actor in a new interview with Town & Country Magazine published Tuesday.

“I’m not trying to protect them from it,” she added.

The model explained that her husband's illness is often “misdiagnosed”, “overlooked” and “misunderstood”.

“Finally getting a diagnosis was key,” she continued, “so I could learn what frontotemporal dementia is and to raise our children.”

The signs of Willis' battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) didn't appear overnight, Heming said, noting that he was initially diagnosed with aphasia – a condition that affects a person's ability to speak verbal and written language ability to write and understand. in 2022.

“I say that FTD whispers, it doesn't scream. It's hard for me to say, 'This is where Bruce ended and this is where his illness began to take over,'” she explained. “He was diagnosed two years ago, but a year before that we had the loose diagnosis of aphasia, which is a symptom of a disease but not the disease.”

Heming decided to be open with her young children about their father's health problems.

“I learned from our therapist that when children ask questions, they are ready to know the answer,” she said.

“If we could see that Bruce was having problems, I would discuss it with the children so they understand that this disease is chronic, progressive and fatal. “There is no cure,” she added.

Heming noted that they don't talk about the “terminal side” of Willis' condition and that they didn't ask about his life expectancy.

“You know Dad isn’t going to get better,” she remarked.

Since there is no treatment for FTD, Heming is dedicated to raising awareness so she can “have some impact on it.”

“I will not let FTD bring down our entire family. “Bruce wouldn’t want that,” she said.

“You will see me fighting for our family, having some hope and helping the next family out there.”

Heming said she has been touched by the love shown to her and her family since they announced Willis' diagnosis last February.

“I wanted them to see us release our family statement and I get goosebumps thinking about how it was received with so much love and compassion,” she said. “We were able to raise awareness on a global level and they were able to see the reach and influence of their father. That’s a beautiful thing.”

Heming and Willis married in 2009. The Pulp Fiction star was also married to Demi Moore from 1987 to 2000 and they have three daughters together: Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30.