Demi Moore opens up about changing life priorities amid ex Bruce Willis' illness

Publish date: 2024-06-13

The Die Hard star is battling frontotemporal dementia with the support of his blended family

Demi Moore is finding the positivity in life, despite the challenges facing her family, the most prominent of those being her ex-husband Bruce Willis' health battle.

The 68-year-old actor is currently battling frontotemporal dementia. The Mayo Clinic describes the affliction as primarily affecting "the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain are generally associated with personality, behavior, and language."

His family, comprising Demi and their three daughters, Tallulah, Scout, and Rumer, plus his wife Emma Heming Willis and their two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn, released a statement announcing his retirement in the spring of 2022 due to his diagnosis with Aphasia. In February 2023, they updated fans by revealing his new diagnosis.

VIDEO: Bruce Willis celebrates his birthday with Demi Moore, Emma Heming Willis, and their extended blended family

As his condition progresses further, the women in his family are creating awareness about the illness and spreading love and positivity as they support the ailing star.

Demi, 60, appeared at a screening for the movie Common Ground in Los Angeles and spoke with E! News about facing hardships and challenges in life.

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"I had this illness at 18 that really pushed me to focus on following a different path," she told the publication. "And it is a journey of finding what's right. And I think that consciousness around what we want has really elevated on a more mass level, which is very exciting."

She also gushed about the brightest spot in their family – the birth of her and Bruce's first grandchild, Rumer's daughter Louetta "Lou" Isley Thomas Willis last April with her musician boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas.

"She's just a pure joy," Demi gushed about her adorable granddaughter. "It really is all the cliches. You get all the fun and joy, and you get to go to bed early and have a good night's sleep."

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On a recent Instagram Stories Q&A, 35-year-old Rumer opened up about how she came to the name "Louetta Isley" for her daughter, and revealed that her father had a hand in it as well.

"Her name is a mix of things I love," she explained. "I have always loved the name Lou so was thinking of that for both a boy or a girl, but when we found out she was a girl we came up with Louetta."

MORE: Bruce Willis' daughter Rumer Willis makes heartbreaking confession about relationship with dad amid illness – fans react

She went on: "We wanted to give her options," and revealed that the name was, in fact, created out of an amalgamation of some of her and her dad's favorite musicians: "Lou" for Louis Armstrong, "Etta" for Etta James, and "Isley" for The Isley Brothers.

She also shared a reflective message alongside a photo of Bruce holding his granddaughter for the first time, a moment which made Rumer quite emotional.

MORE: Rumer Willis reflects on spending 'precious moments' with father Bruce Willis amid declining health

"Seeing my father hold my daughter today was something I will treasure for the rest of my life," the actress wrote alongside a sweet snap of the pair. "His sweetness and love for her was so pure and beautiful. 

"Papa I'm so lucky to have you and so is Lou. Thank you for being the silliest, most loving, coolest Daddio a girl could ask for. Best Girl Dad in the game…."

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