Michael Douglas details past relationships and marital challenges in new memoir
In his memoir, Michael Douglas recounts calling five other women before committing to Catherine Zeta-Jones, and describes the couple’s health, legal and family struggles over the years.
Michael Douglas disclosed in his memoir "One Helluva Ride" that he contacted five women he was seeing on the same day he decided to commit exclusively to Catherine Zeta-Jones. The actor said the calls were made to inform each woman that he had met someone and would no longer pursue a relationship with them, and that they responded positively.
Douglas, who first became interested in Zeta-Jones after seeing her in the 1998 film "The Mask of Zorro," recalled that she required him to be monogamous before agreeing to date him. The couple married in 2000 and have two children, Dylan and Carys.
The memoir also details periods of personal difficulty, including Douglas’s 2010 diagnosis with stage-IV cancer, his son Cameron’s legal troubles, and a legal dispute with his former wife over film earnings. Douglas wrote that these stresses affected Zeta-Jones and the family, leading the couple to take a temporary separation in 2013 before reconciling in 2014.
Reflecting on their 25-year marriage, Douglas said the key to longevity is treating a partner as special as on the first day, emphasizing mutual respect and humor.