Demi Moore still finds ‘great beauty’ in ex-husband Bruce Willis’ ‘very difficult’ battle with dementia

Demi Moore has shared a bittersweet update on her ex-husband, Bruce Willis’ present medical situation, calling it a mix of “great loss” and “great beauty.”

The 62-year-old actress reflected on the former Hollywood action star’s fight with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) while promoting her new film, The Substance, in a recent interview with CNN. Moore confessed that Willis’ condition is so harrowing she wouldn’t “wish [it] upon anyone.”

After acknowledging the toll the illness has taken on the 69-year-old retired actor and his loved ones, Moore shared that she’s still optimistic about everything. “There is great loss, but there is also great beauty and gifts that can come from it,” she said.

According to her, though Willis’ struggles are “very difficult,” there’s still reason to be happy since he is, for the most part, “in a very stable place at the moment … given the givens.”

“It’s so important for anybody who’s dealing with this to really meet them where they’re at. And from that place, there is such loving and joy,” she added.

The Red actor was first diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022, then with FTD six months later. According to the Mayo Clinic, FTD is an umbrella term for brain diseases affecting the frontal and temporal parts of the brain, causing abnormalities in personality, behavior, and language.

On the other hand, aphasia is a disorder affecting one’s ability to communicate either in written or spoken language. Considering that FTD affects the part of the brain controlling language or communication, the condition has been tied to aphasia as one of its causes. In Willis’ case, his main condition is FTD, and its manifestation is aphasia.

Since the Willis family announced the actor’s diagnosis and retirement from the industry in spring 2022, all of the members, including Moore, have been very supportive of him in his battle against dementia.

Moore, who was married to the Die Hard star from 1987 to 2000, has three daughters with the actor — Rumor, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30. Meanwhile, Willis’ present wife, Emma Heming, has two daughters with him — Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10. Both Moore and Heming decided to blend their families in the wake of Willis’ health struggles.

In October 2024, Moore shared her honest thoughts on her ex-husband’s decline at the Hamptons International Film Festival. She also assured the audience that Willis was in stable condition.

“You know, I’ve said this before. The disease is what the disease is. And I think you have to be in real deep acceptance of what that is. But for where he’s at, he is stable,” she was quoted as saying at the event by People. “When you’re holding on to what was, I think it’s a losing game.”

Heming has also accepted her husband’s condition, telling Town & Country in the same month that she’s “not trying to shield” her daughters from seeing their dad’s health decline for them to accept and better handle the situation.

Since FTD does not have a known cure, both Moore and Heming appear to focus on cherishing the remaining moments they have with Willis. Just like what the Ghost actress recently said, there is still beauty to behold even in the face of loss.