Rumer Willis opens up about emotional breakup with Derek Richard Thomas
The actress is now dating again and says she is manifesting marriage and more children
Rumer Willis has opened up about the emotional turning point that led to the end of her relationship with musician Derek Richard Thomas, saying she realized the relationship was “never going to look” the way she hoped for her future.
The 37-year-old actress, who shares a three-year-old daughter, Louetta, with Thomas, reflected on the breakup during an appearance on The Inside Edit podcast, released May 18. The couple separated in August 2024.
Willis said a key moment of clarity came while attending her friend Maeve Reilly’s wedding in June 2024, describing it as a “reckoning moment” that forced her to reassess her relationship.
“Your wedding literally was a huge reckoning moment for me,” she said. “I heard your vows and I just realized that the situation I was in was never going to look like that, no matter how much effort I put in.”
She added that witnessing the ceremony while holding her daughter made her reflect on what she truly wanted for her own life and future.
“I was just watching you guys, just weeping, holding my child, and I just thought, you know what? I need to have more value for myself,” Willis said, explaining that the experience ultimately gave her the strength to leave.
The Dancing with the Stars alum said she now feels she is regaining her sense of self after what she described as a “really challenging” and “brutal” relationship.
“I need to go and leave, no matter how scared I am, and find something that looks like this,” she recalled thinking at the time.
Despite the difficulty of the breakup, Willis said she is proud of how she has handled motherhood and her personal growth since then.
“I’m so proud of myself,” she said. “I work really hard and I show up for my kid and it’s such a privilege to be a mom.”
Willis also shared that she has begun dating again and is approaching relationships with new expectations, saying she is now looking for consistency, communication, and genuine effort from a partner.
“I’m looking for someone who shows up with consistent communication and is interested in pursuing me and wooing me,” she said.
Looking ahead, Willis said she is optimistic about the future, sharing that she is “manifesting” marriage and more children and hopes to find a long-term partner soon.
“I’m gonna meet this wonderful man,” she said, adding that she hopes to get married next year and expand her family in the future.
