Perhaps it is not just his love for Jones that has kept their marriage strong but also the lessons he learnt from his failed marriage with Luker.
We often get so carried away by the charming aspects of a relationship that we forget to ponder on to the parts that probably aren't as magical but play a crucial role in making it what it is.
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' well-renowned union and the tale of romance have charmed many admirers around the world; still, most of us don't pay attention to their individual efforts to keep the relationship sailing as much as we do to their joint efforts. But the truth is, the actors, on many occasions, have contributed to the marriage on an individual level.
The Welsh actress is Douglas' second wife and he has always found his way back to her; that's the love of course, but probably also maturity he gained from the mistakes he committed in his first marriage.
In 1977, the Marvel actor proposed marriage to producer Diandra Luker after only two weeks of courtship. They got married the same year and welcomed their first child Cameron the following year. But soon, cracks started appearing in their marriage. Both Douglas and Luker had demanding careers and presumably, that took a toll on their companionship. As time rolled on, the rift started growing.
According to Mirror, Douglas had developed a problem with alcohol for which he had his rehab stint in 1992 but it was widely reported to be a sex addiction. Also, Cameron's prison sentence probably put a lot of stress on the couple.
Luker was heavily criticized for her son's sentence. One thing piled up on another and their marriage hit rock bottom after 18 years of togetherness. After a very public and bitter legal battle, the couple parted ways in 2000. While a reason was never disclosed, people guessed a number of things from the bitter occurrences in their marriage.
"I don't feel that two wrongs make a right. I'm not into mudslinging, and I refuse to lower myself to even tell you the tip of the iceberg," Luker told Harper's Bazaar in a candid 2011 interview.
She went on, "I loved Michael very much when I married him. And I don't think love ever really disappears. It might metamorphose, [but] I certainly don't think that hate is the right recipe."
As per Mirror, Douglas said, “I know I’m going to get into trouble here. I have nothing against her and in fact I’m very fond of my first wife. But we should have ended that marriage eight or 10 years earlier."
He added, “It took me too long to realize that if you go to a marriage counselor to resolve problems, it’s in his interest to keep the marriage going. Because if I end the marriage he’s got no business. I think Diandra would probably say the same thing. That’s the only clear regret that I have.”
In 2000, the same year his divorce was finalized, he married Catherine Zeta-Jones but this time he knew better. The couple had their ups and downs but he knew what not to do to keep a marriage alive. However, after 13 years of togetherness and fighting challenges like criticism for their age -gap, Cameron's drug case, and Douglas' throat cancer, the couple went separate ways in 2013. It broke a million hearts because their relationship had become people's favorite Hollywood romance.
While Douglas' reps did reveal that the couple is "taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage," the Ant-Man star knew that nothing could keep them apart. When a couple has seen so much together and been through so many hurdles together, it is only predictable that they can't help but reunite to spend the rest of their lives together.
Also, this time around, Douglas was perhaps ready to do whatever it takes to mend his relationship and not repeat the same mistakes that crushed his marriage with Luker. So he waited it out for some time and eventually reconciled with Jones. "I'm crazy about her...I think every couple has their difficult times. The only problem is, as you well know, we're all in the public eye and it tends to get a little more exposed than most," he assured Ellen DeGeneres in 2015. "But we're back, stronger than ever."
Adding to the same chain of thoughts he said, "It's a long road, and I think people today are so quick to throw in the towel on marriage. You have to give it your best shot and not give up when the first problem arises because that won't be the last problem." He added, "There will be many more down the road."
He also acknowledged that they both worked on their relationship individually because there was still hope. "It took work on both our parts," Douglas confessed. "I don't think there's much chance of fixing a relationship if one of you is already out the door."
Well, we are as strong as we make ourselves and Douglas has made himself strong through his weakest phases!
References:
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a684/diandra-douglas-interview/
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/michael-douglas-wanted-diandra-luker-2138722
