Demi Moore talks about Bruce Willis’ dementia progression: ‘I wouldn’t wish it on anyone’

In a great phase in Hollywood due to her performance in “The Substance”, Demi Moore has been fulfilling a schedule full of commitments to promote the film. She also frequently talks about a subject related to her personal life: her ex-husband Bruce Willis’ health condition.

Protagonist of films such as “Die Hard” (1988), “The Sixth Sense” (1999) and “Unbreakable” (2000), Willis has been away from the spotlight since being diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that hinders speech, in 2022.

The following year, the family made public that doctors detected frontotemporal dementia, a neurodegenerative condition that affects language and behavior such as disinhibition, loss of empathy, lack of judgment, impulsivity and compulsive behaviors. It is the same disease that affects journalist Mauricio Kubrusly.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Demi described the moment as “very stable”, but highlighted the difficulty of seeing Bruce going through this. “[Não é] what I would wish on anyone”, said the actress, emotionally.

She also highlighted the importance of understanding the status of those affected by the condition. “I want to sincerely emphasize: It’s crucial to understand where these people are. And from that place, there is a lot of love and joy,” he explained. “While there is great loss, there is also great beauty and gifts that can come.”

The actor’s most recent appearance was in photos published on Instagram, shared by Scout and Tallulah, two of the three daughters from his 13-year marriage to Demi. The image was posted during Thanksgiving celebrations at the end of November.

“Gratitude,” says the caption of the joint post. In the photos, the 69-year-old actor holds a sign with the phrase “best father in the world”.

According to recent reports in Closer magazine, the condition has only gotten worse in recent years and, currently, he no longer remembers some people close to him, including his ex-wife. Last year, to Vogue, Talullah gave more details about his father’s illness, and told how challenging it has been to communicate with him.

“My family announced in early 2022 that he had aphasia, a brain-mediated inability to speak or understand language, and this year we learned that this symptom is a feature of frontotemporal dementia, a progressive neurological disorder that deteriorates his cognition and his behavior day after day. But I already knew something was very wrong a long time ago.”