Demi Moore has given an emotional update on ex-husband Bruce Willis’ health amid his dementia battle.The actress, 62, who was married to Willis, 69, from 1987-2000 and shares three daughters with him, confirmed the Die Hard star was ‘in a very stable place at the moment’ in an interview with CNN.
‘And I’ve shared this before, but I really mean this so sincerely. It’s so important for anybody who’s dealing with this to really meet them where they’re at, and from that place, there is such loving and joy.’
The Substance star said it had been ‘very difficult’ to watch the dad of five’s health struggle, saying: ‘[It’s] not what I would wish upon anyone.
‘There is great loss, but there is also great beauty and gifts that can come from it.’
The Hollywood icon’s family revealed his diagnosis of FTD in February 2023 shortly after he retired from acting due to his struggle with a brain disorder known as aphasia – which affects speech and understanding of language.
Willis has since received a flood of love and support from loved ones and family members amid his health struggles.
In October, his wife Emma Heming opened up about his dementia battle and expressed that she doesn’t ‘shield’ her daughters from the diagnosis.
Bruce tied the knot with Heming in 2009 – and the pair share two daughters: Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10.
During an interview with Town & Country Magazine, Heming explained, ‘This disease is misdiagnosed, it’s missed, it’s misunderstood.’
‘So finally getting to a diagnosis was key so that I could learn what frontotemporal dementia is and I could educate our children.’
Emma added, ‘I’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything for them. They’ve grown up with Bruce declining over the years. I’m not trying to shield them from it.’
‘What I learned from our therapist was that if children ask questions, they’re ready to know the answer. If we could see that Bruce was struggling, I would address it with the kids so they could understand, but this disease is chronic, progressive and terminal.’
Heming told the outlet that their children don’t tend ‘to speak about the terminal side of this with them, nor have they asked.’
However, she expressed that Mabel and Evelyn ‘know that Daddy’s not going to get better.’
Emma said that she was not going to let ‘FTD to take our whole family down. Bruce wouldn’t want that,’ while adding that she hopes to help the ‘next family out there.’
While talking to the publication, she also revealed that the return of Bruce’s childhood stutter initially masked his cognitive decline before being diagnosed with dementia.
‘As his language started changing, it [seemed like it] was just a part of a stutter, it was just Bruce.’
She then admitted, ‘Never in a million years would I think it would be a form of dementia for someone so young.’
Amid his health battle, his loved ones have continuously given his fans updates – including Demi Moore.
Last month, The Substance actress expressed that his condition was ‘stable’ while attending the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival in New York.
‘You know, I’ve said this before. The disease is what the disease is. And I think you have to be in real deep acceptance of what that is. But for where he’s at, he is stable,’ she stated during a panel, per People.
‘What I always encourage is to just meet them where they’re at. When you’re holding on to what was, I think it’s a losing game.’
Moore added, ‘But when you show up to meet them where they’re at, there is great beauty and sweetness.’
And amid his aphasia and dementia battle, his daughter Tallulah expressed that the retired actor is surrounded by ‘so much love.’
‘He’s doing stable, which in this situation is good. And it’s hard; there’s painful days – but there’s so much love.’
She continued, ‘And it really shown me to not take any moment for granted and I really do think that we’d be best friends. I really do think that he is very proud of me.’
In an August 22 post, Rumer shared an image of herself holding her father’s hand while answering a question about how the actor has been doing amid his health woes
The actor’s family took to Instagram March of 2022 to reveal he was stepping away from acting following his diagnosis with aphasiaIn February, Bruce’s family issued a statement on Instagram to reveal his FTD diagnosis.
At the time, they explained that it is the ‘most common form of dementia’ but added there are currently ‘no treatments for the disease.’
‘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.’
‘Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately,’ they added.
‘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.’
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