Emma Heming shares loved-up photo with husband Bruce Willis amid his dementia battle

By Deirdre Durkan-simonds For Dailymail.com

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Emma Heming was feeling nostalgic on Wednesday as she shared a throwback photo from the early days of her relationship with husband Bruce Willis. 

In the image, which was taken on a digital camera, the Die Hard star, 69, captured a sweet moment between him and Heming, 46, as they cozied up in the back seat of a car during a loved-up date night.

'Doing selfies before they had a name,' the mother-of-two captioned the image, which showed her gazing adoringly at him with a big smile across her face.

Willis, who is currently battling frontotemporal dementia, looked handsome in the snap as he smoldered into the camera lens while maintaining a serious  expression. 

Under the post, Willis' 30-year-old daughter, Tallulah, who he shares with ex-wife Demi Moore, commented: 'I love I love.'

Emma Heming was feeling nostalgic on Thursday as she shared a throwback photo from the early days of her relationship with husband Bruce Willis
Emma Heming was feeling nostalgic on Thursday as she shared a throwback photo from the early days of her relationship with husband Bruce Willis

Emma Heming was feeling nostalgic on Thursday as she shared a throwback photo from the early days of her relationship with husband Bruce Willis

In addition to receiving 33,504 likes, Heming was flooded with messages from fans that thanked her for sharing the picture.

'You have always been such a beautiful couple, thanks for sharing your life with us Emma ❤️,' one wrote.

Another commented: 'A guy with a big heart. Thank you for sharing such a beautiful photo.' 

'I’m so sorry what you and your family is going through—your approach is so inspiring and so full of hope and acceptance. You’re an amazing mom,' a third told  Heming, who shares daughters Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10 with Bruce.

Later in the day, she shared another throwback, which showed them walking with their arms around each other as they seemingly arrived to a movie premiere or event.

She accompanied the picture with the song Isaac Hayes' song, The Look of Love. 

Emma and Bruce have been married since 2009. 

Bruce withdrew from Hollywood in 2022 amid his battle with the brain condition 'aphasia,' which causes the patient's language abilities to deteriorate. 

Later in the day, she shared another throwback, which showed them walking with their arms around each other as they seemingly arrived to a movie premiere or event
Later in the day, she shared another throwback, which showed them walking with their arms around each other as they seemingly arrived to a movie premiere or event

Later in the day, she shared another throwback, which showed them walking with their arms around each other as they seemingly arrived to a movie premiere or event

Emma and Bruce have been married since 2009 (pictured in 2009)
Emma and Bruce have been married since 2009 (pictured in 2009)

Emma and Bruce have been married since 2009 (pictured in 2009)

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

'As Bruce's condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research,' the family said. 'Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately,' his family wrote in a statement, shared on Instagram.

They continued: 'We know in our hearts that - if he could today - he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families.'

The Mayo Clinic defines aphasia as 'a condition that affects your ability to communicate' that 'can affect your speech, as well as the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.'

Last year, his family announced that his illness had 'progressed' and he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (seen with Rumer Willis, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Scout Willis, Heming Willis and Tallulah Willis at an event in LA on September 23, 2019)
Last year, his family announced that his illness had 'progressed' and he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (seen with Rumer Willis, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Scout Willis, Heming Willis and Tallulah Willis at an event in LA on September 23, 2019)

Last year, his family announced that his illness had 'progressed' and he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) (seen with Rumer Willis, Demi Moore, Bruce Willis, Scout Willis, Heming Willis and Tallulah Willis at an event in LA on September 23, 2019)

'As Bruce's condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research,' the family said
'As Bruce's condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research,' the family said

'As Bruce's condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research,' the family said 

The actor's family did not announce what caused his bout with aphasia, which has a number of potential causes.

The condition could occur following a head injury or stroke, or can be a predecessor to a brain tumor or Alzheimer's disease.

Patients who are living with the condition are typically treated with speech therapy and taught ways to communicate non-verbally.

Bruce WillisDemi MooreMabelEmma Heming