DWTS Champ Rumer Willis Reveals Her Most ‘Profound & Dynamic Journey’

Rumer Willis became a “Dancing With the Stars” legend in 2015 when she joined Season 20 and competed alongside her professional partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy for the Mirrorball Trophy. At the end of the season, Willis and Chmerkovskiy were victorious. It was an incredible experience for fans and the actress, but she recently chose to open up about another journey, and how it has changed her life.

Willis posted a video on Instagram on May 12 highlighting the bond she shares with her daughter, Louetta Isley Thomas Willis (she welcomed Louetta on April 18, 2023, with her then-boyfriend, Derek Thomas). The sweet clip gives a glimpse into what motherhood looks like for the “Sorority Row” actress, including snuggling on the sofa, trips in the cold weather, and playing with a baby chick. The photos also show Willis’ relationship with her mother, Demi Moore, and the veteran star’s bond with her granddaughter.

Rumer Willis Shares the Highs & Lows of Motherhood

The star’s Instagram post is incredibly moving, and the photos say so much without her having to say anything at all. But she did share her thoughts in the caption. “Being your mother is the greatest privilege of my life,” she wrote. “Louetta, I love you to the moon, the stars, and far beyond. Motherhood is the most profound and dynamic journey I’ve ever taken. So vast and layered it often defies language.”

She continued to highlight the moments that she cherishes, including hearing her daughter tell her she loves her, but was also honest in acknowledging that there are hard days as a parent, too. “It lives in the hard days too. Like today, when we both cried,” she wrote. “You, frustrated and hurting as your four back molars make their entrance. Me, blinking through a fleeting wave of loneliness, the kind that sometimes finds its way into the quiet edges of single motherhood.” Willis is referencing her split from Thomas, which she confirmed in August 2024 with an “Ask Me Anything (AMA) Uncensored” on her Instagram Story.

She continued, noting that when she took a moment to collect herself and “recharge,” she was
“struck by something tender and true: what a gift it is to be your safe haven.” It is Willis’s greatest gift to be that safe place for her daughter, despite her challenges. “And in those moments when I think I have nothing left to give, when the momentary ache for a partner to share the load, gratitude blooms instead,” she wrote. “Gratitude that I get to be the one. That I am yours. And you are mine. The one whose breath settles on my chest as you drift to sleep.”

Rumer Willis Pays Tribute to Her Mother Demi Moore

Willis concluded her lengthy post with a shoutout to her mother in honor of Mother’s Day on May 11. “And to my beautiful Mama, our beloved YaYa, thank you. We love you beyond words,” she shared. “I am so grateful we chose each other in this lifetime. You teach me every day, and I know Lou is lucky beyond measure to call you hers.”

Fans have reacted to the touching message by sharing their thoughts in the comment section of the Instagram post. The honesty of Willis’s post has moved many people, and she has been praised for the great job she is doing raising her daughter. “You’re so brave and so capable! She is blessed to be your love, and you are blessed to be her mom,” a fan shared. “Healing words especially to those of us who have been single during Motherhood…a difficult but incredibly worthwhile journey,” another reaction reads.