Demi Moore's Pain Laid Bare: Bruce Willis' Ex-Wife Admits How 'Difficult' It Is Seeing Actor 'Shift' as He Battles Dementia In Emotional New Interview
Demi Moore shared her candid feelings about her ex-husband's deteriorating condition.
Sept. 3 2025, Published 3:30 p.m. ET
Demi Moore has shared her heartbreak over watching Bruce Willis lose his battle with dementia, calling it "difficult" to see her once thriving ex-husband become a different person, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Willis, 70, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in February 2023 after initially being assessed with the brain condition aphasia the year prior. The former movie action hero's condition has deteriorated to the point where he is now unable to speak or form words.
Coming to Grips With Willis' Dementia
Moore shared a photo with her ex-husband while wishing him a Happy Birthday in March.
"It’s difficult. It’s hard to see somebody who was so vibrant and strong and so directed shift into this other parts of themself," Moore, 60, said of her former husband of 13 years in a new interview with Oprah Winfrey. The former couple married in 1987 and divorced in 2000, remaining friendly exes. The duo shares three adult daughters: Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31.
The Substance star revealed how she's realistic about where things stand with Willis' current condition.
"But you know, my particular perspective is one, I really always say it’s so important just to meet them where they're at. Don't have an expectation of them needing to be who they were or who you want them to be, and when you do that, I find that there is an incredible sweetness and something that's soft and tender and loving," Moore shared.
The Oscar nominee wistfully added, "And perhaps it is more playful and childlike in a certain sense, because of how much more caretaking they need," referring to Willis' round-the-clock medical care.
Replaying 'What You've Lost' Only 'Creates Grief'
Moore and Willis share three kids.
Moore described how she currently fits into Willis' life, as his wife, Emma Heming, revealed he's living apart from her in a 24/7 home care situation.
"The most important place for me is showing up and being present," the Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle star revealed. "Because if you project where it's going, it creates anxiety."
Moore lamented how "if you replay what it was and what you've lost, it only creates anxiety and grief," referring to Willis' current state.
The brunette beauty tried to look at the bright side of the time she now spends with Willis after he lost his ability to speak.
"When you stay present, there's so much. And there's still so much of him there," Moore noted. "And it may not always be verbal, but it is beautiful given the givens."
From Wife to Caretaker
Willis and wife Emma Heming attended a movie premier in 2019, three years before the actor's aphasia diagnosis.
Moore had high praise for how Heming, 47, handled her husband's diagnosis and served as his primary caregiver until the responsibilities became too overwhelming.
The former model shares two daughters with Willis: Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11.
"I have so much compassion for Emma in this, being a young woman," the Landman star raved. "There’s no way that anybody could have anticipated where this was going to go, and I really think she's done a masterful job. She has been so dedicated to forging the right path. She's had equal amounts of fear and strength and courage in navigating this."
'The Hardest Thing'
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Heming recently took her daughters to a picnic at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, saying she was 'grateful for this slow Sunday with the girls.'
Heming previously revealed that Willis was now living apart from his family as his condition deteriorated. The Die Hard star resides in a one-story house near where she lives with their daughters, as he receives constant care.
"It was the hardest thing," Heming said in a new interview about the move, describing how her husband "requires a calm and serene atmosphere." The Malta native added that it had become necessary for the sake of their kids.
"We have two young children, and it was just important that they had a home that supported their needs and that Bruce could have a place that supported his needs ... The kids can have playdates and sleepovers [again] and not have to walk around tiptoeing."
