Topics: Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Dementia
Bruce Willis' ex-wife Demi Moore has weighed in on the manner in which his partner has handled the Die Hard star's dementia diagnosis.
The 70-year-old has been living separately from his wife, Emma Heming Willis, and their two daughters, 13-year-old Mabel and 11-year-old Evelyn, after having been diagnosed with frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), which was confirmed by his family in 2023.
FTD is a rare type of dementia that affects the frontal lobes at the front and the temporal lobes around the sides of the brain, which impacts a person's language ability and behavior.
Willis now lives in a bungalow away from his former Brentwood Park residence in Los Angeles, with a full-time care team there to assist him.
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"Bruce would want that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs," Emma told ABC News.
However, the decision faced some criticism from social media users, leading Heming Willis to address it by saying that she knew that there would be 'two camps' of 'people with an opinion versus people with an actual experience'.
Now, Willis' ex-wife Moore, who shares three adult children with the Pulp Fiction star - 37-year-old Rumer, 34-year-old Scout and 31-year-old Tallulah, has given her support to Emma's decisions to help the actor.
Emma appeared on Oprah Winfrey's podcast, The Oprah Podcast, to chat about her new book, titled The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, as a guide for care partners navigating dementia.
Oprah told the model that Moore had made an appearance herself recently, where they asked her for her thoughts on the situation, which they then played to Heming Willis.
"There is no road map for how to deal with this, and obviously being the ex-wife even though our family is very connected is an interesting position, and so much fell on Emma to really figure this whole thing out," The Substance star said.
"And the most beautiful thing, and she talks about this in the book, was recognizing the importance for caregivers that they have to take care of themselves, and that if they don't put that time into making sure that they're okay that they then can't show up for anyone else."
Moore continued: "I have so much compassion for Emma in this, being a young woman. There's no way that anybody could have anticipated, you know, where this was going to go - and I really think she's done a masterful job.
"She has been so dedicated to, you know, forging the right path. She's had, you know, equal amounts of fear and strength and courage in navigating this.
"I think that this book is going to really be very helpful for a lot of people who are walking through this."
If you've been affected by dementia or Alzheimer's and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact the Alzheimer's Association via 800.272.3900 open 24 hours seven days a week.
