Hollywood star Michael Douglas has described his marriage to Welsh actor Catherine Zeta-Jones as "in good shape", reflecting on their nearly three-decade relationship in a recent interview with the Sunday Times.
Douglas, 82, recalled the moment he first encountered Zeta-Jones at the 1998 Deauville film festival when he was 53 and she was 28. He told her directly: "I'm going to be the father of your children." The couple married at an elaborate ceremony at the Plaza Hotel in New York in 2000 and have two children together: Dylan, now 26, and Carys, 23.
The Oscar-winning actor acknowledged the demands of maintaining a long-term partnership.
"Marriage is a lot of work, you know," Douglas told the Sunday Times. "And so, you know, we're good. We're in good shape. It's all I can say."
How did their relationship survive its roughest period?
The couple experienced a brief separation in 2013 but reconciled within a year, a rarity among high-profile Hollywood couples. Douglas rejected the notion that he had to "win back" his wife, instead characterising the reunion as mutual.
"It was a mutual … You know, we had our problems but I love her dearly and, 25 years, you know,"he explained. He also stated that he "never gave up hope that we would reconcile" during their time apart.
Zeta-Jones, now 57 and a star of the musical film Chicago, celebrated their silver wedding anniversary the previous year. The Swansea-born actor expressed her enduring affection for Douglas, saying she loved him "today as I did then".
What was their early relationship like?
When Douglas first met Zeta-Jones, she was establishing herself in Hollywood following her role in The Mask of Zorro. The actor had developed a notable reputation in the entertainment industry by that time, having starred in 1980s blockbusters including Wall Street and Fatal Attraction.
After nine months of long-distance dating, Zeta-Jones reportedly made her intentions clear, telling Douglas she was "not interested in dating you if you're dating other people". His response was characteristically direct: "Wait here, I have to make five quick calls." The subsequent high-profile romance attracted considerable media attention and public scrutiny.
Douglas has regularly travelled to Wales with his wife and family over the years. He has previously expressed admiration for the Welsh people and countryside, though he found the climate challenging, describing the weather as "brutal". The couple spent many years living in Bermuda before relocating to New York state.
What does his new memoir reveal?
Douglas's forthcoming memoir, One Helluva Ride, was released on 6 October 2026 in the United States by Grand Central Publishing and in the UK by Headline. The 496-page volume, written with Shane Salerno and Michael Fleming Jr., represents a culmination of 55 years of his professional work and provides behind-the-scenes accounts of his childhood, Hollywood career, and personal relationships.
The memoir contains several revelations about Douglas's life. According to reporting on the memoir, Douglas disclosed that he had a secret romance with Romancing the Stone co-star Kathleen Turner while filming the 1984 movie. In a separate memoir interview, Douglas denied claims that he had been a sex addict or attended rehab for sex addiction, calling the story untrue.
When asked about his wife's reaction to the book, Douglas admitted that
"she hasn't read it". Despite the intimate nature of some revelations in the memoir, Zeta-Jones has not yet reviewed the completed work.
The couple's children have pursued careers in entertainment despite their famous family background. In recent years, Zeta-Jones has defended Dylan and Carys against criticism of their status as children of famous parents, arguing that they are forging their own paths in the industry. Additionally, Zeta-Jones has developed an interest in art collecting, inspired by her role in a recent film project, and now owns works by Henry Moore and Marc Quinn as she engages with New York's art scene alongside her husband.
