Demi Moore has Emma Heming‘s back amid ex-husband Bruce Willis‘ battle with frontotemporal dementia.
Last week, the former model revealed to Diane Sawyer for the ABC News special, Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, that she made the difficult decision to have the 70-year-old actor live separately from her and their two daughters, 13-year-old Mabel and 11-year-old Evelyn. Emma explained that she thought it was not only best for Bruce to receive around-the-clock care, but also for the girls, noting that this was what he would’ve wanted for them. Despite this, she faced backlash over her choice. Ugh. The 47-year-old entrepreneur clapped back at the criticism, saying caregivers are often “judged quickly and unfairly by those who haven’t lived this journey or stood on the front lines of it.” Now Demi is coming to her defense!
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During Tuesday’s episode of Oprah Winfrey‘s self-titled podcast, The Substance actress recognized everything involving his condition fell on Emma, including making the hard decisions like having Bruce live in a separate home:
“There is no roadmap for how to deal with this, and obviously, being the ex-wife, even though our family is very connected, is an interesting position. So much fell on Emma to really figure this whole thing out.”
It is a lot of pressure on one person. But according to Demi, the CocoBaba founder handled it well and helped others in the same caregiver role along the way:
“The most beautiful thing – and she talks about this in the book – was recognizing the importance for caregivers and that they have to take care of themselves. If they don’t put that time into making sure that they’re okay, then they can’t show up for anyone else.”
The Ghost star went on to praise Emma for stepping up for Bruce, saying:
“I have so much compassion for Emma in this, being a young woman. There’s no way that anybody could have anticipated where this was going to go, and I really think she’s done a masterful job. She has been so dedicated to forging the right path. She’s had equal amounts of fear and strength and courage in navigating this.”
If only some social media users could have more grace and compassion for Emma after her announcement last week, because at the end of the day, she is just trying her best during a tough situation. Demi feels the businesswoman’s upcoming book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, will be “very helpful for a lot of people who are walking through” something similar. Perhaps it’ll be eye-opening for those who aren’t, too.
As for Demi, she acknowledged that seeing her ex-husband “shift into this other part” of himself hasn’t been easy for her. But she is choosing to remain positive and hopeful through it all:
“It’s so important just to meet them where they’re at. Don’t have an expectation of them needing to be who they were or who you want them to be. And when you do that, I find that there is an incredible sweetness and something that’s soft, tender, and loving.”
It is wonderful how Demi is rallying around Bruce and Emma amid his dementia battle! They are such a great example of a strong blended family! We’re sending all of them so much love! As always! Watch the podcast (below):
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.
[Image via Oprah/TODAY/YouTube,Emma Heming/Instagram]