Demi Moore has given a heartbreaking update on her ex-husband Bruce Willis’ battle with dementia.
Willis is a legendary actor who has had an extremely successful career, thanks to his performances in films such as Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, and Pulp Fiction.
The Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor became a household name after starring in the television sitcom Moonlighting.
Since then, the 69-year-old has starred in over 100 movies.
In 2022, Willis announced in a joint statement with his family that he would be retiring from acting following his diagnosis of aphasia.
But now, the beloved actor’s ex-wife Demi Moore has shared a heartbreaking health update with fans.
As per Mayo Clinic, aphasia is a disorder that can ‘impact your speech, as well as the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.’
It’s caused by damage in the area of the brain that controls language expression and comprehension and can leave a person unable to communicate effectively with others, Johns Hopkins Medicine states.
Just under a year after Willis’ initial diagnosis, his family released a second statement, sharing yet another health update.
They announced that Willis had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
This diagnosis represents a group of brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain, as per The Association for Frontotemporal Dementia (AFTD).
It can affect a person’s personality, speech, behavior, and sometimes physical ability, and progressively gets worse with time.
In the statement that the family gave to the AFTD after Willis’ second diagnosis in February 2023, they said: “Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead.
“As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research,” they continued.
They also also wrote that Willis always believed in using his voice to help others and shared how much raising awareness means to them both publicly and privately.
There to support the actor in this difficult time is his family.
Demi Moore and Willis married in 1987 after a 4-month whirlwind romance and the pair went on to have three daughters together: Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah.
Despite divorcing in 2000, Moore and Willis maintained a close friendship and solid family unit for their three daughters.
Moore has continuously spent time with Willis through his illness.
The actress was recently celebrated at the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival, where she was presented the Career Achievement in Acting Award.
During the live discussion section after the ceremony, the The Substance actress was asked about Willis.
Speaking of his condition, Moore said: “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.”
She continued: “But for where he’s at, he is stable.”
“What I always encourage is to just meet them where they’re at. When you’re holding on to what was, I think it’s a losing game,” the actress added.
“But when you show up to meet them where they’re at, there is great beauty and sweetness.”
For Moore and her daughters, they are focused on being able to share whatever they have for however long they have with Willis.
