Gene Wilder's widow opens up about husband's Alzheimer's battle

Gene Wilder’s widow, Karen Wilder, is opening up about their marriage in a new essay for ABC News.

In her emotional piece, Karen began by explaining how she never thought she would marry a movie star, much less spend years taking care of one as beloved as her "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" star husband.

SEE ALSO: Peggy Cummins, star of ‘Gun Crazy,’ dies at 92

"But I’ve done both," she wrote. "Love was the reason for the first. Alzheimer’s disease, the second."

Wilder spoke about the small signs that led her husband to get tested for Alzheimer’s and the six years they spent together after his initial diagnosis.

See photos of Gene and Karen Wilder together:

"But there’s another particularly cruel aspect to the disease of Alzheimer’s, because in addition to destroying – piece by piece – the one who’s stricken with it, it ravages the life of the person caring for its victims," she explained. "In our case, I was that person."

SEE ALSO: Celebrities that died in 2017: Looking back at the legends we've lost

Wilder died at the age of 83 last year after battling Alzheimer's.

Karen allowed the use of Gene’s portrayal of Willy Wonka to be used for the Pure Imagination Project, a campaign to bring greater awareness about Alzheimer's.

Gene and Karen met in 1989 after Gene's wife Gilda Radner died of ovarian cancer.

Read Karen Wilder's full essay for ABC News here.

RELATED: Celebrities we lost last year:

More from AOL.com:
Ellen Page ties the knot with new wife Emma Portner
'Fixer Upper' star Chip Gaines 'swears' by what gender he thinks baby No. 5 with wife Joanna Gaines is
Meghan Markle reportedly wants her mom to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day