He asked his publicist to arrange a meeting with Catherine the very first time he saw her while she was promoting the movie 'Entrapment.'
Couples married for more than two decades often have trouble keeping their relationship fresh, but certainly not the case with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas. They have been married for more than 21 years and they still go out on dates. They first met at Deauville American Film Festival in 1998. He had asked his publicist to arrange a meeting with Catherine, and she agreed. She was promoting the movie Entrapment and promised to meet for a nightcap. Catherine came back and Douglas told her, "I'm going to be the father of your children." She responded that she had heard a lot about him and that "it was time to say goodnight," Douglas recalled at The Jonathan Ross Show.
Douglas soon realized his mistake. When she arrived at the Isle of Mull in Scotland she received a bouquet of red roses with an apology. It worked out in his favor and she forgave him. They started talking and fell in love with each other. On November 18, 2000, they got married. He did eventually become the father of her children. They have two children together, Dylan and Carys Douglas. Michael has another daughter, Cameron Douglas, from his previous relationship.
In 2013, the couple announced that they will separate to 'evaluate and work on their marriage.' Catherine wanted to split after Michael told her that his cancer was caused by the HPV virus contracted through oral sex contact, reported The Guardian. The actor did not clear that he contracted it before or after marrying the actress. However, they reconciled after eight months and according to Douglas, these struggles made their marriage stronger. "True love takes work. Love is an extraordinary feeling that comes from the bottom of your soul, but has to be nurtured, you know. The thing I've learned about getting older is you can't take love for granted. You protect it, nurture it and it grows and after one's initial, physical, emotional aspects, it becomes deeper," he said, according to Vogue.
Since then, they have been going strong. Catherine told PEOPLE in 2021, "With any relationship, it wouldn't be normal if there weren't any ups and downs." "The constant is love and respect. We've never, ever lost our sense of humor, and we enjoy each other's company." She added that they spend a lot of time together. "I'm really working 16 hours a day, or I'm not. He's doing the same, or not. So we've had in our relationship huge amounts of time where we've been just us. We lived on the island of Bermuda for 12 years bringing up our kids. We respect each other's space, and our humor is just long-lasting."
The couple is often spotted on dates. Recently, the actress celebrated 24 years with her husband. She wrote on Instagram, "It’s our Birthday!! After 24 years of celebrating our special day together, I still look forward to it😂😘😂I love you!!! a la voter!!!!!!!!!!"
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBWvKyrjx1E
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jun/02/michael-douglas-oral-sex-cancer
https://www.vogue.com/article/i-want-what-they-have-catherine-zeta-jones-michael-douglas#:~:text=%E2%80%9CTrue%20love%20takes%20work%2C%E2%80%9D,t%20take%20love%20for%20granted.
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Rich Fury
