Rumer Willis, who clinched the “Dancing With the Stars” Mirror Ball Trophy alongside her partner Val Chmerkovskiy in 2015, opened up in a portion of a new interview with the The Inside Edit about how Bruce Willis’ dementia has unexpectedly allowed a previously unseen personality trait to shine through.
The 37-year-old optimistically said she’s grateful for visits with the “Die Hard” star, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023, even though “it’s different now.” She reflected, “There’s a sweetness. He’s always been this kind of macho dude and there’s like a — fragile is not the right word but — just a tenderness that maybe being Bruce Willis might not have allowed him in a certain way.”
The mom of one also said her family’s experience opened her eyes to just how common the vicious condition is. She revealed she frequently gets approached by people whose family members are dealing with the same disease, remarking, “It’s wild to me.”
Back in March, Rumer celebrated her dad’s 71st birthday with a montage of his old movie clips and a touching message that read, “Happy Birthday Daddio
I wanted to think about you today. Dancing around, being your undeniably charming self. I love you so much.”
Rumer Willis Makes Rare Comments About Her Child’s Father
Rumer discussed how she’s found strength while trying to bounce back from some trying years.
“It’s so crazy having a dad that’s sick. Sometimes I forget how much I’ve already been through.”
She went on, “I’ll do almost like an inventory of the last 20 years of my life, and I’ll just sometimes go, ‘How am I still standing?’ You know? I’m just starting to feel back in my power, I would say in the last- I don’t know- like 8 months.”
Rumer then made a rare reference to the father of her daughter, Louetta Willis. The “Dancing” champ shares the 3-year-old with her ex-boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas, a musician.
She said that involves regaining confidence and “feeling back in myself after a really challenging relationship.” She went on, “I try not to speak negatively, but also my truth is that it was really brutal and challenging.” Rumer said she’s “really proud” of herself, and declared, “I work really hard, and I show up for my kid.” She made sure people knew she wasn’t complaining about her extra responsibilities, adding, “It’s such a privilege. It’s such a privilege to be a mom.”
Rumer previously revealed her relationship status by declaring “I’m single momming” it in an Instagram post back in August 2024. Later in 2025, she opened up about being a solo parent, saying “some days being a single mom is hard” and adding that she’s “doing everything alone.”
How Is Bruce Willis Doing? Bruce Willis Health Update 2026
Bruce Willis was initially diagnosed with aphasia in the spring of 2022, his family said in a statement that appeared on the website for The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration almost a year later.
In that statement, they soon received a more specific explanation for his health struggles as the “Pulp Fiction” star’s ailment was identified as frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Willis’ current wife, 47-year-old Emma Heming Willis, gave an update on Bruce’s health status in a January 2026 appearance on the podcast “Conversations With Cam.” She shared that at this stage, the actor is not aware of his condition.
“That’s the blessing and the curse of this is that Bruce never tapped in,” she explained, going on, “He never connected the dots that he had this disease. I’m really happy about that. I’m really happy he doesn’t know about it.”
She also shared that “he is still very much present in his body” and that he still knows who she is.
