Born Demi Gene Guynes on November 11, 1962, actress Demi Moore, who changed her surname after marrying her first husband, Freddy Moore, at the age of 18, has had a tough upbringing that profoundly affected her life and helped shape her identity.
Moore’s father left before she was born and she was raised by her mother, Virginia King, and her step-father, Dan Guynes.
Her childhood was traumatic because her mother battled substance abuse most her life. In fact, their relationship was strained and rocky from the start. Her mother attempted suicide multiple times, and Moore, although a young child, took the role of a caregiver at times and was there to save her mother. One time, she was forced to dig the pills her mom had swallowed out of her mouth.
In her book Inside Out, the Ghost star opened up about her dark past, writing that after her parents’ split, her mom would often take her to bars for men to notice her. Heartbreakingly, one of those nights ended in rape.
Moore was just 15 when she was sexually assaulted by a man whom her mother knew. Speaking to Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, the actress revealed that after the assault, he asked her how it felt like “to be wh***d by your mother for $500.”
Asked if she believed the man’s words were true, Moore told Sawyer, “I think, in my deep heart no. I don’t think it was a straightforward transaction.
“But she still – she did give him the access and put me in harm’s way.”
Despite the struggles and the challenges she had faced because of her mother, Moore tried to reconcile with her multiple times throughout her life. Eventually, Virginia King passed away in 1998 due to cancer.
Moore was able to distance herself from her mother during her teenage years and to protect herself from her destructive behavior.
Eventually, she made a name for herself and became an A-list actress with a number of famous movies under her belt.
In 1987, she married actor Bruce Willis with whom she has three daughters. Their union lasted for 13 years. However, the divorce affected her relationship with Willis and her daughters, and with that, her physical and mental health.
“I guess the fundamental question that came forward for me was, ‘How did I get here?’” Moore told Sawyer. “I mean, from where I started to what I’ve experienced, where I’ve been, like, how did I get here?”
Just like Moore’s relationship with her own mother, her connection with one of her daughters, Talullah Willis, has also been a troubled one at some point. This was influenced by various factors, and Moore’s high-profile marriage to actor Ashton Kutcher, who was 15 years her junior, added another layer of complexity to their relationship.
Though they have faced difficulties, they have strived to improve their relationship and have shared moments of reconciliation.
Both have expressed a commitment to backing each other and have openly admitted their efforts to foster a more profound connection.