“We went on one date, on the Friday before Emma was getting ready to move back to New York, and then we fell mad crazy in love,” Bruce Willis said of Emma.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 27, 2022. It has since been updated.
Bruce Willis has carved a name for himself in the industry as an action hero, but in real life, he is a true romantic. When he got married to Demi Moore in 1987 it seemed like he had found his one true love. They seemed to be in love and went on to have three gorgeous daughters together. All was well, but soon their marriage began to crumble and Willis knew he didn't want to be married to Moore anymore. According to Moore's memoir Inside Out, it was reportedly because of her fame that Willis wanted to end the matrimony. At the time, Moore was the highest-paid woman in Hollywood according to Business Insider.
“My professional life was soaring,” she wrote. “My personal life was painful. Bruce was getting ready to go do a film that was shooting in Europe, Hudson Hawk. There was a lot of buzz around it: it had a huge budget; Bruce had worked on the story and co-written some of the songs, and he had a lot riding on the film. Just before he left, he dropped the bombshell: ‘I don’t know if I want to be married.'”
With that being said, the couple officially divorced in 2000. But even though they decided to end their marriage, they made it a point to still be a big part of each other's lives, for the sake of their kids. Eventually, Moore moved on and married Ashton Kutcher but Willis was still single. After the divorce, Willis was briefly engaged in 2004 but something didn’t feel right. Single life wasn't meant for him, he told W Magazine. “I spent the last 10 years single and, for the most part, unhappy. In a dark place. I never thought that being with someone else was the answer. I would say, ‘I’m alone, but I’m not lonely.’ But I was just kidding myself.”
It wasn’t until he met Emma Heming that he realized what he was missing. He revealed that Heming changed his entire outlook on love and everything suddenly fell into place. “I went from “f--- love” to “love is truly the answer... Then I started hanging around Emma, and on a day-to-day basis my life became much happier.” In 2009, Willis married Heming and the happy couple set forth on their journey together. It wasn't love at first sight although it came really close. Both of them had been friends for many years while they were with their respective dates. However, the turning point came when Emma Heming agreed to go out on a date with Bruce Willis.
Just one date convinced both of them that they were meant for each other, age gap was no issue. “We went on one date, on the Friday before Emma was getting ready to move back to New York, and then we fell mad crazy in love,” Willis said, as reported by Access Online. "When you think about where are you going to find that big love of your life, you seldom think it’s someone you already know. You think it’s someone you’re yet to meet."
In fact, he adores his wife so much that he never wants to spend a moment of his life without her. "I hear so many people in relationships say, ‘I just need a couple of days away, or even an hour away. But I don’t want to be away from Emma at all. It’s the most singular relationship I’ve ever had in my life." Soon, Willis and Heming welcomed two beautiful girls, and they grew into a happy family of four. But before they even became official, Heming made it a point to meet his other kids. She admitted that “I met them very early on, and I was definitely nervous because I’d never dated a man who had children and I wanted to be really sensitive to that. But I’ve been really blessed because from day one it’s been comfortable and fun," according to Heavy.
While it may seem all fun in the beginning, it takes commitment, respect and trust to make a relationship last. Willis and Heming do exactly that. They make sure to do the little things that matter and make each other happy.
"He makes me laugh. You’ve got to keep laughing because if you stop, you’re going to have some issues," Heming told Closer Weekly, according to Fox News. Making time for each other is extremely important for the couple. "... We still have a date night once a week!" she added. "We always try and make time for each other. My husband is super supportive — we are a good match for each other."
In 2019, the two even renewed their vows, to celebrate their monumental love. With the love of his life next to him, Willis said, "With Emma, I knew I had found a woman who didn't need or want anything from me other than for us to be together and be happy".
References:
https://www.wmagazine.com/story/julypressreleases09
https://heavy.com/entertainment/2018/07/emma-heming-bruce-willis-wife-married/
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/bruce-willis-dishes-on-his-marriage-to-emma-heming
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris