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Tallulah Willis, Bruce Willis’ daughter, has revealed why her family is upfront about the actor’s ‘aggressive’ dementia diagnosis, as well as providing an update on the actor’s condition.
During Wednesday’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress, 29, discussed her father, who is reportedly losing ‘joie de vivre’ and ‘linguistic skills’ due to a dementia struggle.
When asked by Drew why the family has decided to be so open about his diagnosis, the youngest daughter of Bruce and Demi Moore stated, ‘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 about FTD…’
She added, ‘If we can take something that we’re struggling with as a family, and individually, to help other people, to turn it around to make something beautiful about it, that’s really special for us.’
‘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 stuff – his world – to his little trinkets and doo-dads,’ Tallulah stated.
The beauty also recalled how music is important to Bruce and was a big part of growing up with her sisters.
‘It’s a huge part of also how I spent time with him now, is playing music and just kind of sitting in this energy of love. It’s really special.’
Barrymore then asked the actress what ‘state’ Bruce is currently in, with Tallulah replying with, ‘He is the same…which I think, in this regard, I’ve learned is the best thing that you can ask for.’
‘And what I see is love when I am with him,’ she sweetly added. ‘And it’s my dad and he loves me.’
Tallulah is the youngest daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce, who also share Rumer, 35, and Scout, 32. The former couple were married from 1987 until their divorce in 2000.
The Sixth Sense actor later tied the knot with Emma Heming in 2009, and they also share daughters Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, nine.
‘The best thing that I have learned in all of this journey, whether it be my own, whether it be through what’s going on with my dad and the way our family has blended together in this beautiful tapestry of wonderful female energy is to make space for the negative self talk.’
She stated the importance of ‘not trying to eradicate it,’ adding, ‘I need to make room for it so that when I see it come up, I can just say, “Okay, I see you. I understand why you’re coming up and you’re going to go over here.”‘
‘Versus completely gutting myself over and over…and then with that, I’ve been able to find a lot of love for myself, which is really special.’
Bruce’s family disclosed on social media in February that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which Tallulah described as a ‘aggressive cognitive disorder – kind of dementia – that is exceedingly rare.’
