Demi Moore opens up about deep connection with Bruce Willis amid health battle: ‘Never a question’

Demi Moore and Bruce Willis have perfected the art of the blended family, despite being divorced for over 24 years.

The former couple are the perfect co-parents to their three daughters, Rumer, 36, Scout, 33 and Tallulah, 31, and proud grandparents to Rumer’s toddler, Lou. 

The Substance star opened up about her close relationship with Bruce in an interview with Variety on Thursday and touched on how her family has rallied around each other in the wake of his devastating dementia diagnosis.

“We will always be a family, just in a different form,” Demi told the publication. “For me, there was never a question. I show up because that’s what you do for the people you love.” 

Bruce also shares Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10, with his wife of almost 16 years, Emma Heming. 

“I hope it’s encouraging for others to see that there’s a different way to do things,” Demi added “There is life after divorce. There is a way to co-parent with love.”

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The 62-year-old shared that she visits her ex-husband weekly and seeks to support Emma and the girls amid Bruce’s health battle. 

The Die Hard actor was initially diagnosed with aphasia in 2022 after he had difficulty speaking and expressing emotions. This prompted his retirement from the acting world. 

Doctors then told the family that Bruce had developed frontotemporal dementia in 2023; symptoms include mood changes, apathy and a shift in personality.

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Demi’s comments come after she shared insight into Bruce’s illness in December on CNN, echoing the importance of rallying the family around their father. 

“That has been very important to me even from when Bruce and I separated and divorced, is the recognition that we’re a family, and we’ll always be a family, just in a different form,” she said. “And that form may kind of evolve and change, and there is a way in which we can all be in that form.”

“Given the givens, he’s in a very stable place at the moment,” she added of Bruce’s health. 

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“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,” Demi continued. “And from that place, there is such loving and joy.”

The 69-year-old’s shock diagnosis presented a difficult conversation for his wife to have with their young girls, who were grappling with the news that their father was declining. 

“This disease is misdiagnosed, it’s missed, it’s misunderstood,” Emma told Town and Country. “So finally getting to a diagnosis was key so that I could learn what frontotemporal dementia is and I could educate our children.”

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“I’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything for them,” the 46-year-old added. “They’ve grown up with Bruce declining over the years. I’m not trying to shield them from it.”

She continued: “Obviously, I don’t like to speak about the terminal side of this with them, nor have they asked. They know that Daddy’s not going to get better.”