Michael Douglas Offers Wise Relationship Advice, Describes Marriage With Catherine Zeta-Jones As 'Blessed'

Dec 28, 2021 by apost team

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas continue to have one of the longest-lasting marriages in Hollywood, given that they have been together for more than two decades. And although they have a significant age gap of 25 years, Zeta-Jones and Douglas have shown that age is nothing but a number between two adults who choose to love and cherish each other for life.

Beyond sharing their lives together, the couple also shares a birthday on Sept. 25. This year, Douglas turned 77, getting closer and closer to his eighth decade on this planet, while Zeta-Jones turned 52, just now settling into her 50s.

Just like every couple, Zeta-Jones and Douglas have had a number of hardships and times when their relationship was not exactly rosy. In the recent past, the couple has dealt with grief, health scares and personal turmoils, but the two have stayed together as a strong unit. 

Moreover, despite the difficulties that come with constantly being in the spotlight, the couple seems to have made every effort to keep their relationship and family strong. This includes their decision to move away from the United States for more than a decade to give their children a chance to grow up in a more normal environment.

In November 2021, Zeta-Jones and Douglas also celebrated their 21st anniversary together. In the entertainment industry, this is quite a milestone. The couple has naturally been asked numerous times about what keeps their marriage so strong. In an April 2021 interview, Zeta-Jones opened up about the secret to their long and healthy marriage. And over the years, Douglas has also reflected on their decades-long relationship.

Zeta-Jones opened up in an April 5 piece from The Wall Street Journal Magazine about the factors that keep the foundation of her marriage so strong with Douglas, and interestingly, it is simple enough: "First of all, we have a lot of fun together," she told the publication. Zeta-Jones also addressed the age gap between the two of them, which has often been the fodder for many tabloid stories over the years.

"My husband is 25 years older than me; that's not a secret. With any relationship, it wouldn't be normal if there weren't any ups and downs," Zeta-Jones added. "The constant is love and respect. We've never, ever lost our sense of humor, and we enjoy each other's company."

Douglas has his own thoughts about what makes a strong relationship.

“I think it's not taking the person closest to you for granted. Sometimes you make more of an effort with strangers ... than we do with the person closest to us. And I think we're very blessed to have a lot of mutual respect," Douglas told Access in 2019.

Douglas laid his eyes on his now-wife for the very first time in 1998 at the Deauville Film Festival in France after they were introduced to one another by mutual friends Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith. According to the actor, the two might have had a rocky first encounter. Nevertheless, they made it work in the end.

“I probably made a big mistake," he said as per TODAY. "But I looked at her, and I said, ‘I just want to tell you, I’m going to be the father of your children.’ And she looked at me, and she said, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you. … I guess it’s all true! Good night.’”

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However, it looks like Zeta-Jones and Douglas hit it off soon enough, as the couple married around two years later on Nov. 18, 2000, and they share two children together: a son, Dylan, and a daughter, Carys. Douglas is also father to son Cameron Douglas from his previous marriage to Diandra Luker.

While the decades-long marriage has had its fair shares of challenges — from Douglas' cancer diagnosis to a temporary split in 2013 — the pair have always found their way back to each other. Zeta-Jones spoke about how they still manage to keep their relationship going after all these years and difficulties to the WSJ in April 2021. 

"My husband and I spend a lot of time together because, unlike so many couples, we've never had a 9-to-5 job where it's consistent. We're either on or we're off. 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," she said. 

Through the years, Douglas and Zeta-Jones have made it a point to celebrate each other as well. At the 73rd Emmy Awards earlier this September, Zeta-Jones praised her husband on the red carpet for his lead actor in a comedy nomination.

 "I always like to see my husband nominated on the red carpet, I've become a very proud wife," Zeta-Jones said, according to People.

Douglas, who was nominated for his role in “The Kominsky Method,” ended up losing to Jason Sudeikis for his performance in “Ted Lasso.”

What do you think the secret to a long-lasting relationship is? Do you have your own tips to keep a marriage healthy? Tell us about them, and be sure to let your friends know about Catherine Zeta-Jones' secret for a strong partnership.