Emma Heming Willis Reveals Heartbreaking Way She Told Daughters About Bruce's Move Into 2nd Home

In her new book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, Heming Willis revealed how she told daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, that their dad, Bruce Willis, 70, would be moving into a second home as his frontotemporal dementia progressed.

"We've come to a point in Daddy's disease where the care he requires is changing. It has to be more tailored to his every need,' I told them. 'And you should be in a home that is more tailored to your needs now,'" she wrote. "'Also, Daddy would want you to have playdates, sleepovers, and more freedom than you've been able to have here. That would make him so happy.'"

Heming Willis assured the girls it would be their "second home," filled with some of their own belongings. She described Bruce's new space as "a place they'd keep personal things like toys, arts and crafts supplies, bathing suits, pjs, and games, and that we could go stay with him anytime they wanted."

While she admitted the move was "painful," she said it was ultimately what Bruce would have wanted.

"Even though they'd lived with his disease for so long that they understood, and even though this decision ensures Bruce's overall well-being and safety and allows our young children to thrive, it was an uncertain and painful time for us," she explained. "In fact, it's still painful for me. After all, this is my husband, and having him in another home was not part of the future we'd mapped out together. You really can't dream this stuff up."

The decision was first revealed during a conversation with Diane Sawyer last month, where Hemming Willis called it "one of the hardest decisions that I've had to make so far."

"But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. You know, he would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs," she explained.

Sawyer also recalled visiting Bruce at his second home off-camera.

"As we walked up, he seemed happy and, as Emma said, walking, healthy," Sawyer recalled. "We sat on a sofa outside, and at one point, without words, he took my hand. I talked about the old days and saw flashes of that irrepressible smile."

The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path is out now.