Bruce Willis pictured for first time holding new granddaughter: ‘His love was so pure and beautiful!’

20 June 2023

Bruce Willis has been pictured for the first time holding his new granddaughter.

Bruce Willis has been pictured for the first time holding his new granddaughter

An image of the dementia-stricken ‘Die Hard’ actor, 68, was shared by his daughter Rumer Willis, 34, as part of a Father’s Day tribute she posted about the star and her partner Derek Richard Thomas.

She captioned a carousel of family images on Instagram including one that showed baseball hat-clad Bruce clutching two-month-old Louetta: “Fathers to the old and new. Seeing my father hold my daughter today was something I will treasure for the rest of my life.

“His sweetness and love for her was so pure and beautiful. Papa I’m so lucky to have you and so is Lou. Thank you for being the silliest, most loving, coolest Daddio a girl could ask for. Best Girl Dad in the game….”

Rumer, who is the oldest daughter of Bruce from his first marriage to Demi Moore, 60, which ended in 2000 – with whom they also had Scout, 31, and 29-year-old Tallulah – also posted images of Derek with their little girl.

She added in a tribute to her partner in the same post: “Happy 1st Father’s Day. Thank you for building a beautiful garden for Lou to play in and eat from. Thank you for filling the house with music for her to hear Thank you for all the late night diaper changes and silly faces.

“I’m so grateful our girl has a papa that loves her so much and someone so goofy and weird so she knows that’s ok for her to be too. Thank you for the greatest girl I could imagine in my wildest dreams.”

Bruce was also hailed as “the greatest dad I know” in a Father’s Day message from his wife Emma Heming Willis.

The actor – who is suffering from a progressive neurological disorder called frontotemporal dementia – has daughters Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, nine, with the 45-year-old and the former model has heaped praise in his parenting skills in an emotional post on Instagram.

She said: “Father’s Day is a time I get to reflect on my deep appreciation and respect I have for Bruce as I watch him father our little ones. Where it might not be ‘conventional’, what he’s teaching them will span generations. “Unconditional love, kindness, strength, compassion, patience, generosity, resilience. Happy Father’s Day to the greatest dad I know, who will forever be the gift that keeps giving within our family.”