Emma Heming breaks hearts with throwback pics of Bruce Willis and daughter Mabel on her 11th birthday

Amid Bruce Willis' ongoing battle against dementia, Emma Heming's post focused on the family's more joyful times

UPDATED APR 3, 2023

Emma Heming posted some pictures of Bruce Willis with their daughter Mabel to mark her 11th birthday (Julien M Hekimian/Getty Images, Emma Heming/Instagram)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bruce Willis's wife Emma Hemming Willis shared a number of endearing pictures on social media of their daughter Mabel, who turned 11 on April 1. The images, which were put together in a film, showed Mabel over the years leaning on her father's shoulders and having special moments with him.

Bruce, 68—who just marked his 14th wedding anniversary with Emma—withdrew from show business last year in order to deal with aphasia. The brain disorder, which causes one's verbal abilities to decline, has worsened since.

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Emma was focused on the family's happier moments, sharing pictures that included one of her and Bruce kissing Mabel's cheeks (emmahemmingwillis)

Cute post for the little one

A month ago, his family disclosed that the legend was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Emma, on the other hand, was more interested in highlighting the family's more joyful times in her most recent post. She shared images, one of which showed her and Bruce kissing Mabel's cheeks.

Compiled in a video, the pictures showed Mabel through the years sitting on her father's shoulders and sharing bonding experiences with him (emmahemmingwillis)

One particularly touching photo showed Bruce happily photographing Mabel while she played the piano on his phone. In another, he was seen cuddling the birthday girl and kissing her temple when she was a young child. "How you love and care for your family and friends is beautiful to witness. Keep shining my love and always remember to #liveitup," the text read. Together with Mabel, the 44-year-old British model and her husband Bruce are parents to Evelyn, 8.

Spreading awareness for a cause

Rumer, 34, Scout, 31, and Tallulah, 29, are the three adult children Bruce shares with his ex-wife Demi Moore, who has remained close to both him and Emma. After his aphasia diagnosis, all five of his daughters and both of his spouses came together to support Bruce, and they all jointly declared the onset of his dementia.

In one of the pictures, Bruce could be seen holding the birthday girl in his arms and kissing her temple back when she was just a baby (emmahemmingwillis)

"Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD)," they said together. "Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis."

All five of his daughters and both of his wives have come forward to support Bruce in the wake of his aphasia diagnosis (emmahemmingwillis)

FTD, which affects the brain lobes below the forehead, can result in compulsive behavior, speech difficulties, and personality changes. "Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead," his family noted in their statement. "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." They added, "Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately."