Bruce Willis’s eldest daughter Rumer has opened up about the daunting testing process she has undergone in the wake of her dad’s frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.
The Die Hard actor was diagnosed with the rare neurological disease in 2023, which is caused by damage to the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes, leading to progressive changes in behavior, communication, speech and mobility.
In a new interview with People, Rumer, 38, spoke about undergoing testing to determine her risk of developing dementia and find out what other conditions she could be predisposed to. The majority of dementia is not inherited, but there may be a strong genetic link in rarer types of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.
“It’s terrifying to get answers sometimes,” she told the publication while speaking about her new partnership with the health testing membership service, Function.
“Obviously there are genetic things in my family. Not just dementia, I’ve had some family members who have had breast cancer and family members who have had different things. But I think when you have information, it’s power,” she continued.
open image in gallery“It also just feels like such an easy way to have information to share with your provider that says, ‘Hey, I actually have this data, so you can’t gaslight me about what’s happening,’” she continued.
Rumer said that even before her dad’s diagnosis, her health had always been a priority, and that she had been proactive about her brain health, gut health and reproductive health.
“I think health is one of those things that we take for granted until we don’t have it,” she added. “And I think that if you are taking small steps right now to be proactive about it, you might not have to have such a steep fall off the cliff as you get older.”
Rumer was speaking weeks after her dad made a rare appearance at her sister Tallulah’s wedding in Idaho, where he was pictured with the bride while clasping hands with his new son-in-law, Justin Acee.
Bruce has three daughters with his ex-wife Demi Moore: Tallulah, 32, Rumer, 37 and Scout, 35.
open image in galleryHe married Emma Heming Willis in 2009, and the couple are parents to daughters Mabel, 14, and Evelyn, 12.
Earlier this month, Bruce’s wife revealed that she was torn over whether to mark her recent 50th birthday in June, saying that she has “not really been in the celebratory feelings of late” because of her husband’s condition.
Heming Willis added that she “always wrestles” with guilt, adding: “I think guilt is something that I am always carrying, but I’ve learned that it is really not helpful.”
“I always go back to: what would my husband want for me?” she continued. “And he would want me to have a big, fun bash. He would want me to celebrate my life with my friends and family. And that is sort of what I always think about when guilt of any sort comes in front of me.”