Bruce Willis’ Daughter Rumer Shares Update on His Dementia Battle
umer Willis is giving insight into Bruce Willis‘ health journey.
During a recent Q&A on her Instagram Stories, the Rumer Has It founder was asked how her father is doing amid his ongoing battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which the Die Hardactor—who shares Rumer, Scout Willis, 34, and Tallulah Willis, 31, with ex-wife Demi Moore—was diagnosed with three years ago.
“People always ask me this question and I think it’s kind of a hard one to answer, because the truth is that anybody with FDT is not doing great,” Rumer replied in a Nov. 20 video, “but he’s doing OK in terms of somebody who is dealing with frontotemporal dementia.”
“The only way I feel like I could answer that in a way that’s like he’s doing great… how do I say this?” she continued. “It’s like those parameters don’t really work anymore in my mind, so this is an interesting question.”
Ultimately, the 37-year-old—who shares daughter Louetta Willis, 2, with ex Derek Thomas—is thankful to still have her father in her life, even if there are occasions during which he doesn’t recognize her.
“The answer that I would give is that I’m so happy and grateful that I still get to go and hug him,” she explained. “I’m so grateful that when I go over there and give him a hug whether he recognizes me or not that he can feel the love I’ve given him, and I can feel it back from him. That I still see a spark of him and he can feel the love that I’m giving and so that feels really nice.”
The House Bunny actress also expressed appreciation for the fact that Bruce has been able to develop a relationship with her daughter.
“The answer that I would give is that I’m so happy and grateful that I still get to go and hug him,” she explained. “I’m so grateful that when I go over there and give him a
“I just feel grateful that I get to go over there with Lou and we get to spend time with him,” she said, “and I get to feel the love that he has for me and that he puts out for me and that I can love him and be with him.”
Rumer’s update comes after Bruce’s wife Emma Heming Willis—with whom he shares Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11—provided some insight into how their daughters are handling his condition.
“I think they’re doing well, all things considered,” she told Vogue Australia in an interview published Oct. 10. “But it’s hard. They grieve. They miss their dad so much. He’s missing important milestones. That’s tough for them.”
“But kids are resilient,” she said, before adding, “I used to hate hearing that because people didn’t understand what we were walking through. I don’t know if my kids will ever bounce back. But they’re learning, and so am I.”
Keep reading for more on Bruce’s family tree as his journey continues…
Bruce Willis and Demi Moore
hug whether he recognizes me or not that he can feel the love I’ve given him, and I can feel it back from him. That I still see a spark of him and he can feel the love that I’m giving and so that feels really nice.”
The House Bunny actress also expressed appreciation for the fact that Bruce has been able to develop a relationship with her daughter.
Originally appeared on E! Online
Up-and-coming movie stars Bruce Willis and Demi Moore met at the August 1987 premiere of the cop comedy Stakeout—which, neither was in, but Demi was there to support one of the film’s stars, her ex-fiancé Emilio Estevez.
Bruce was newly single and Demi, who was married to Freddy Moore from 1981 to 1985, was ready to mingle.
“We went all in, right away,” the Ghost star wrote in her 2019 memoir Inside Out, “talking about how badly we both wanted to have kids, our own family.”
Just a few months after meeting, they were in Las Vegas to catch a boxing match when they eloped, tying the knot at the Golden Nugget hotel on Nov. 21, 1987. A month later, they threw a bigger wedding, with Little Richard officiating their vows.
While Demi later detailed in her book just how precarious their marriage was at times (not least when Bruce mentioned in 1990 that he wasn’t sure he wanted to be married at all), they were outwardly a Hollywood golden couple right up until they announced in 1998 that they were separating.
But they remained a family unit.
“I still love Demi. We’re very close,” Bruce told Rolling Stone in 2000. “We have three children whom we will continue to raise together, and we’re probably as close now as we ever were. We realize we have a lifelong commitment to our kids. Our friendship continues.”
Rumer Willis
