Rumer Willis became a “Dancing with the Stars” fan favorite when she competed on the show in 2015, dancing off with the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy as that season’s winner alongside pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy.
The Hollywood scion appeared onstage at the inaugural Dancing With the Stars Con on Saturday, August 1, where she opened up about how her experience on the show transcended simply winning the competition.
Dancing to Establish Her Own Identity
EntertainmentNowAs Willis told fans in attendance, appearing on “DWTS” presented her with an “opportunity to share a piece of my heart and my soul and, like, who I am with all of you in a way that I’ve never gotten to do before.”
As the daughter of two major celebrities — mother Demi Moore and father Bruce Willis — she admitted that she’s long struggled with forging her own public identity separate from her parents.
“I’ve never had another opportunity to share like, me, in that way that was so, so vulnerable, and it’s been such a gift,” she continued.
“I have fans and people to this day, that I used to be known for … the first thing that would come before my name would be my parents’ names,” she explained. “And now that I’m a ‘Dancing With the Stars’ winner, I will take that name today.”
Starting from Scratch
In a 2025 interview with Midlife at the Oasis, Willis gushed about her “Dancing With the Stars” experience.
“I’ve never danced before. When the opportunity arose, I thought, ‘What a wonderful chance to learn how to ballroom dance with someone who’s a world champion.’ It just sounded like a lot of fun,” she said of why she decided to appear on the show in the first place.
As she recalled, she worked intensively with Chmerkovskiy, particularly on their first dance, and she felt her confidence growing along with her dancing ability.
“You get three weeks to prepare, and I grew quite dramatically over that period. When we finally got to perform, it was one of the best times of my life. To have worked so hard for something and have it come to fruition was amazing,” she continued.
Asked what she took from her experience, she responded: “Confidence and a desire to continue to strive to challenge myself and try new things. I not only made a great friend, but the partnership Val and I had was incredible. We taught each other a lot and I don’t think I would have gotten to the end with anyone but him.”
‘Outside of My Comfort Zone’
As Willis explained, reality television had never been a goal, yet “DWTS” was a lure she found impossible to resist.
“Being on a reality show was definitely outside my comfort zone. Plus, dancing six or seven hours a day was quite a big change for me. Once I got into the swing of it, though, I loved it,” she shared.
Emerging as the season’s winner, however, took everything to a whole other level. “It meant the world,” she added. “It was such a validation of everything we had worked toward. Everything that I’d worked toward and everything that he’d worked toward for so many seasons. It was especially rewarding because there was a particular drive and motivation we both had. We weren’t trying to win for ourselves. We were both really trying to win it for the other person. I think when you have a desire and a passion for something to happen that’s not for yourself, it’s easier and more in your reach.”
