Demi Moore has been updating fans on ex-husband Bruce Willis‘ health status following his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis on many occasions – and the Oscar-nominated actress has spoken candidly about him once again.
The 62-year-old The Substance actress, who shares daughters Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, with the 70-year-old Die Hard actor, opened up about it while speaking to Oprah Winfrey on the September 2nd episode of The Oprah Podcast.
Demi Moore Tells Oprah Winfrey How The Family Are Managing Bruce Willis’ Condition
The Ghost alum appeared virtually on the podcast episode alongside Bruce’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, who was with Oprah Winfrey in person to promote her new book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, out September 9th.
On the podcast, Moore reflected on how much responsibility has fallen on Heming Willis, 47, who has also been open with fans about navigating her husband’s illness.
Emma, who married Bruce in 2009 and shares two daughters with him – Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11 – faced some backlash after recently revealing that she had made the “difficult” decision to move the Pulp Fiction star into a separate one-story home with round-the-clock care, calling it “one of the hardest decisions” she has ever made.
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Emma first made the controversial revelation during the ABC special Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, and spoke further about it in a new interview with People.
Explaining why moving Bruce to a home made sense for everyone involved, Emma said: "Dementia plays out differently in everyone's home and you have to do what's right for your family dynamic and what's right for your person." She added: "It's heartbreaking to me. But this is how we were able to support our whole family, [and] it has opened up Bruce's world."
Demi Moore Defends Emma Heming Willis On Oprah Podcast
"There is no road map for how to deal with this," the Indecent Proposal actress told Winfrey in defense of Emma's decision, before reflecting on their blended family dynamic and her admiration for Emma as Bruce's caregiver.
"Obviously, being the ex-wife, even though our family is very connected, is an interesting position," she explained, adding: "So much fell on Emma to really figure this whole thing out, and the most beautiful thing – and she talks about this in the book – was recognizing the importance for caregivers that they have to take care of themselves. And if they don't put that time into making sure that they're okay, that they then can't show up for anyone else."
Demi Moore Says She Has 'So Much Compassion' For Bruce Willis' Wife
The G.I. Jane actress, who has been open about spending as much time with Bruce as possible, went on to say she has "so much compassion for Emma in this, being a young woman," adding: "There's no way that anybody could have anticipated where this was going to go."
She continued to praise Emma's strength in supporting the Sixth Sense star: "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 Striptease actress also reflected on the difficulty of watching the Fifth Element actor's health decline in the space of a few short years, saying: "It's hard to see somebody who was so vibrant and strong and so directed shift into this other part of themselves. My particular perspective is, I really always say it's so important just to meet them where they're at."
