Bruce Willis' Daughter Tallulah Sheds More Light on Father's Health Battle
Tallulah Willis
While Bruce Willis and his family have been quite open about the actor's struggles with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) since his diagnosis, his youngest daughter with Demi Moore, Tallulah Willis, revealed a bit more about Willis' health in a new interview.
Tallulah, 29, spoke with host Drew Barrymore on The Drew Barrymore Show about a variety of topics, including a past visit to rehab and her struggles growing up in the spotlight. When Barrymore brought up Willis and his FTD, Tallulah shared, “He is the same, which I think in this regard I’ve learned is the best thing you can ask for."
"I see love when I’m with him, and it’s my dad and he loves me, which is really special," she went on.
Barrymore then asked Tallulah why the Willis-Moore family—including her mother, sisters, stepmother Emma Heming Willis, and two half-sisters—has been "so open" about the entire situation.
The 29-year-old replied, "Well, I think it’s twofold. On one hand, it’s who we are as a family, but also, it’s really important for us to spread awareness," before noting that they "had no idea" about FTD and what it entailed before Willis' diagnosis.
Tallulah Willis (@buuski) shares why her family has decided to be so open about her father Bruce Willis' disease. pic.twitter.com/mNqgPEhGAu
— The Drew Barrymore Show (@DrewBarrymoreTV) November 8, 2023
"If we can take something that we’re struggling with as a family to help other people, to turn it around to make something beautiful about it, that’s really special for us," Tallulah added.
She also touched on her more personal experience with her father, saying, "And part of what’s been a really beautiful way for me to heal through this is becoming like an archeologist to my dad’s world, to his little trinkets and doo-dads.”
Almost a year after first being diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022, Willis was diagnosed with FTD, with the family releasing a statement together announcing the sad update. A few months later, Tallulah published a personal essay in Vogue in which she shared that she initially coped with the news of Willis' health status in a way she's "not proud of."
But her perspective appears to have since changed for the better: "In the past I was so afraid of being destroyed by sadness, but finally I feel that I can show up and be relied upon. I can savor that time, hold my dad’s hand, and feel that it’s wonderful."
Next: Bruce Willis' Friend Glenn Gordon Caron Explains How Actor's Life Changed Since Dementia Diagnosis