Demi Moore’s ‘ridiculous’ fitness regime caused her to quit exercise

Anyone who has seen Demi Moore’s latest film, The Substance, which sees the 61-year-old appear totally nude, will be well aware that the actress has an incredible figure.

Demi barely seems to have aged a day during the time we’ve seen her on our screens, looking just as flawless alongside Margaret Qualley in their horror flick, as she did back in the 1980s.

Of her nude scenes, Demi told Variety: “Going into it, it was really spelled out — the level of vulnerability and rawness that was really required to tell the story. And it was a very vulnerable experience.”

Demi Moore’s extreme regime

Demi has always committed to looking after herself, health and fitness-wise, and has admitted to going to extremes in her younger years to prepare for roles.

Back in 1991, six months after giving birth to her daughter, Scout Willis, Demi had a particularly intense routine, as she explained to CBS Sundays: “I put so much pressure on myself.”

Of her routine while shooting Indecent Proposal, Demi noted: “I was feeding [Scout] through the night, getting up in the dark with a trainer, with headlamp, biking all the way to Paramount then shooting a full day, which is usually a 12-hour day and then starting all over again.

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“Even just the idea of what I did to my body, it’s so crazy, so ridiculous.”

Bruce Willis’ ex-wife realised her routine was damaging her health, forcing herself to take a four-year break from exercise after she let working out “consume” her.

SEE: Age-defying celebrities who look half their age: Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Oprah Winfrey & more 

In her memoir, ‘Inside Out’, the actress wrote that her obsession with keeping fit began in 1992 when she was cast opposite Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men. 

“I didn’t feel like I could stop exercising,” she wrote. “Getting in shape for that movie launched the obsession with working out that would consume me over the next five years. I never dared let up.” 

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Reflecting on her unhealthy mindset, Demi told Elle in 2010: “I had an extreme obsession with my body. I made it a measure of my own value.”

She added: “I tried to dominate it, which I did, and I changed it multiple times over. But it never lasted and ultimately it didn’t bring me anything but temporary happiness.”

Demi Moore’s approach to fitness at 61

As she approaches her 62nd birthday in November, Demi has a more relaxed attitude towards fitness.

In 2020, she shared that she was working out in front of a virtual mirror, which saw her perform dance routines in the comfort of her home, offering a laidback workout with the focus being on fun.

Though Demi didn’t share how she prepared for her role in The Substance, she did say that the experience left her with a worrying illness that saw her drop a significant amount of weight. 

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In an interview with the L.A. Times, Demi revealed how challenging the production was, both physically and emotionally. “To give you an idea of the intensity, my first week that I actually had off, where it was just Margaret [Qualley] working, I got shingles,” she shared candidly.

The diagnosis, which came as a shock to her, was a stark reminder of the toll that such an intense role can take on the body and mind. “And I then lost, like, 20 pounds,” she added, highlighting just how taxing the process was.

Despite the condition, Demi knew that this was the kind of project where you had to give everything. “You have to walk away feeling that you put it all on the table,” she explained. “It called for it and it’s what you want to bring to it.”