Demi Moore’s loving support for Bruce Willis as he fights dementia

The Ghost star opened up about the challenging journey her family is facing with Bruce’s illness (Image: Getty)

Demi Moore is proving that true love never really dies, as she rallies around ex-husband Bruce Willis in his brave fight against frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

The Ghost star, who turns 62 on November 11th, opened up about the challenging journey her family is facing with Bruce’s illness and revealed what it’s like to visit him in his current state.

In a candid appearance at the Hamptons International Film Festival, where she was honoured with the Career Achievement in Acting Award, Demi gave a heartfelt update on Bruce’s health.

“You know, I’ve said this before. The disease is what the disease is. I think you have to be in real deep acceptance of what that is. But for where he’s at, he is stable,” she shared.

Demi’s recent visit to Bruce included her granddaughter, Louetta, the daughter of Rumer Willis, the eldest of Demi and Bruce’s three daughters.

“What I always encourage is to just meet them where they’re at,” Demi explained. “When you’re holding on to what was, I think it’s a losing game. But when you show up to meet them where they’re at, there is great beauty and sweetness.”

The couple’s daughters, Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, are also standing by their father, helping him through this difficult time.

Despite their divorce over 20 years ago, Demi and Bruce have remained close friends (Image: Getty)

Rumer, in particular, praised her mother’s constant presence.

“It means so much to me, the way that my mom, and I think to all of my sisters and I, the way that my mom shows up for all of us as we are working with it, as she is working with it,” she said, adding that Demi is supportive of Bruce’s new family too.

Despite their divorce over 20 years ago, Demi and Bruce have remained close friends, creating a supportive blended family.

Bruce went on to marry model Emma Heming Willis in 2009, and they share two daughters, Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10. And when Bruce’s health took a turn in 2022, Demi and her daughters immediately rallied around Emma and her girls.

Rumer gave a glimpse into their unique family dynamic, revealing that they often have family dinners at Emma’s house. “We go over to dinner at Emma’s house with the girls and we’re family. And I think family can look differently in a lot of ways, but it’s just about what it means,” she shared.

Growing up, she noted, she was grateful to never have to “split a holiday” between her parents, crediting her mum and dad’s close bond for creating such a peaceful family life.

The pair with their daughter, Rumer (Image: Getty)

Emma, who has had the daunting task of caring for Bruce, has found comfort and strength in Demi’s continued support. She admitted that Bruce’s dementia diagnosis came as a shock, telling Town & Country: “As his language started changing, it (seemed like it) was just a part of a stutter, it was just Bruce. Never in a million years would I think it would be a form of dementia for someone so young.”

Still, she feels blessed to have Demi and her daughters by her side, revealing: “The family respects the way I’m looking after him; they really support me. If I need to vent, if I need to cry, if I need to rage — because all of that can happen and it’s okay to have those feelings — they are always there to listen.”

The entire Willis clan knows that time with Bruce is precious.

Demi, who has been visiting Bruce regularly, spoke to the power of living in the present. “Being able to share with whatever we have, for however long we have it,” she said, is a philosophy the family holds dear as they navigate the unpredictable path of Bruce’s dementia.