Tallulah Willis' Engagement To Dillon Buss Was Called Off At The Worst Moment

Tallulah Willis thought she'd found "the one" in her ex-fiancé Dillon Buss. The former couple first went public with their relationship in February 2020 and later got engaged in May 2021. The youngest daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis shared the happy news of their engagement on Instagram, along with snaps of the romantic proposal, which she captioned, "with absolute most certainty" (via People). She then shared a closer look at her massive engagement ring in a separate post. "HANDS STILL SHAKIN' — MOMS SPAGHETTI — I'm FIANCÉNCHED," Tallulah wrote.

As for Dillon, the film director penned a sweet note for his soon-to-be wife. "I can finally call you my fiancé. Love you forever Buuski Lu, you are my best friend #maythefourthbewithus," he wrote. Following their announcement, Tallulah's sisters, Rummer and Scout, took to social media to congratulate the couple on the milestone. "I love these crazy kids," Rummer wrote. "Congratulations @dillonbuss and @buuski I love you both so immensely and I am so excited for you." Scout, for her part, delightedly welcomed Dillon into the family. "I'm so buoyed by this JOYOUS LOVE CELEBRATION!!!! HIP HIP HURRAY!!!!!" she gushed. "@buuski @dillonbuss today is a blessing because of your love! 5/4/21. Welcome the first official WILLIS BROTHER." Unfortunately, the bliss didn't last long as Tallulah and Dillon ended their engagement the following year — and at the worst time possible, at least for Tallulah. 

In a candid essay for Vogue, published in May 2023, Tallulah Willis confirmed that she and her fiancé, Dillon Buss, had called off their engagement over a year after the pair announced their plans to marry. In the essay, Tallulah revealed that she was "dumped" by Buss shortly after her father, Bruce Willis' aphasia diagnosis was made public in the spring of 2022 — and while she herself was battling anorexia nervosa. Recalling their split, Tallulah said that she entered a rehabilitation facility in Texas and was later diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, or BPD. "In fact what happened was that in June of last year, my boyfriend, who was by then my fiancé, dumped me, and my family stepped in as they had done before and sent me to Driftwood Recovery, in Texas," she wrote. "I was introduced to a variety of therapies, my medication was retooled, and I was given a new diagnosis."

Detailing her struggle with anorexia, Tallulah said that she'd dropped down to an alarming 84 pounds in the weeks leading to their breakup. "I was always freezing. I was calling mobile IV teams to come to my house, and I couldn't walk in my Los Angeles neighborhood because I was afraid of not having a place to sit down and catch my breath," she recalled. "My family and friends were terrified." In addition to battling anorexia and BPD, Tallulah also got candid about her past struggle with depression and being diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, at the age of 25.

In her essay for Vogue, Tallulah Willis said that she was diagnosed with ADHD while she was in recovery for depression at a treatment center in Malibu, California. "When I was 25, I was admitted to a residential treatment facility in Malibu to address the depression that I had lived with through my adolescence. It was a largely therapeutic experience; for the first time, I grieved the 15-year-old misfit me, the ugly duckling," Tallulah, now 29, said. "I also was diagnosed with ADHD and started on stimulant medication, which was transformative." ADHD, according to Mayo Clinic, is a mental health condition that makes it difficult to focus and/or control impulses. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood, but often continues into adulthood, with symptoms ranging from disorganization, excessive activity and restlessness to frequent mood swings and trouble coping with stress. Per NHS, those with ADHD may also struggle with other conditions, such as anxiety disorders and even depression.

Fortunately, these days, Tallulah is feeling a lot better in terms of her health — and her heart. And that's thanks in no small part to her family who has been by her side through it all. "I realized that what I wanted more than harmony with my body was harmony with my family," Tallulah said as she talked about her recovery from anorexia. "To no longer worry them, to bring a levity to my sisters and my parents," adding, "An emaciated body wouldn't do that."