In 2022, Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration following an earlier diagnosis of aphasia. His ex-wife, Demi Moore, has recently shared new details about the legendary actor’s health condition, which led him to retire from acting.
Family members have frequently spoken about his struggle with the disease, which affects the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes.
“Given the circumstances, he is currently stable,” Moor told CNN. She then emphasized that with this illness, it is crucial for the person to have family support and to be surrounded by people who will provide care and love.
She also added that watching a loved one struggle with this condition is “very difficult” and “not something I would wish on anyone.”
Moore then tried to point out the positive side of the situation but did so in a way that left everyone unsure of what she actually meant. “There is great loss, but there is also great beauty and gifts that can come from it.”
After her statement, fans on social media couldn’t believe what she had said. Some questioned how anyone could claim that someone receives a “gift” because they have dementia. Others wondered what was on her mind and why she didn’t think twice—if not once—before speaking.
How is their relationship?
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis were married from 1987 to 2000 and have three daughters together: Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah. The actor is now married to Emma Heming Willis, with whom he has two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn. Both his former and current wives have joined forces to care for him.
Tallulah Willis described her father’s illness as “a really aggressive cognitive disease, a rare form of dementia,” during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2023.
“I’ve always recognized parts of his personality in myself, and I just know we would have been such good friends if there had been more time,” she wrote in an essay for Vogue last year, expressing regret over the lost opportunity for their relationship to grow without interruption.
Her father’s illness has taught her to value every moment with him. “I’ve truly learned not to take a single moment with him for granted, and I really believe we would have been best friends. I think he’s very proud of me. You have to be present in the moment. You have to be there,” she said earlier this year on Today.
