Things You Might Not Know About Catherine Zeta-Jones And Michael Douglas’ Relationship

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8. Still Married

Michael and Catherine didn’t start dating seriously until March 1999. They tried to keep their relationship as low-key as possible because he was still divorcing his first wife, Diandra, and he didn’t want anything to affect the divorce agreement that they had been working on. Unfortunately, when Diandra caught wind of the relationship, she went to People magazine and said, “Before Michael can marry, he has to divorce me – or become a Muslim so he can have two wives.”

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7. Proposal

The Wall Street actor proposed to his Welsh girlfriend on New Years Eve 1999 while they were vacationing in Aspen, Colorado, with a 1920s antique by Fred Leighton that reportedly cost $1 million. Before they went to Aspen, they had flown to Wales to celebrate Christmas with Catherine’s parents, who were both three years younger than her beau, Michael.

A photo posted by Catherine Zeta-Jones (@catherinezetajones) on Mar 15, 2016 at 4:17pm PDT

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6. Wedding

They were married at Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel in November 2000. There were 350 guests – which included celebrities like Goldie Hawn, Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan – a lobster and lamb dinner, a 10-tier cake and an entertainment lineup that included Gladys Knight, Art Garfunkel, Jimmy Buffett and Bonnie Tyler. In total, the wedding cost a reported $1.5 million.

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5. Generous Prenup

The actor and actress reportedly had a falling out when they were negotiating their prenup. She allegedly wanted him to pay her $3 million for every year that they were married if the marriage went south. In the end, she ended up getting close to what she wanted. Instead of $3 million per year of marriage, she gets $2.8 million a year for every year that they are married and she was quite happy with that. “I think prenups are brilliant,” she said. “I get taken care of very well.”

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4. Family

Together, Zeta-Jones and Doulas have two children, a son Dylan Michael and a daughter Carys Zeta. Their son, Dylan, was born three months before their wedding. Douglas also has a son from his first marriage to Diandra named Cameron, who has encountered his fair share of legal problems because of his addiction to drugs. In August 2016, he was released from his prison after having spent seven years behind bars.

A photo posted by Catherine Zeta-Jones (@catherinezetajones) on Oct 10, 2016 at 12:19pm PDT

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3. Mr. Mom

After the Welsh actress won an Oscar for her supporting bit in Chicago in 2003, the actor-turned-producer took a career break so that he could stay home with the kids. “I’m not driven like I once was – these days I am consumed with being a father and with my responsibilities as a husband. I never anticipated starting a family at my age. I’m genuinely happy to let Catherine work, while I stay at home with the children. I cherish this time,” he told The Guardian in 2010.

A photo posted by Catherine Zeta-Jones (@catherinezetajones) on Jun 21, 2015 at 1:09pm PDT

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2. Struggles

In 2013, the couple separated after 13 years of marriage. They were having difficulties because of Douglas’ tongue cancer diagnosis, which he successfully recovered from, and her struggles with bipolar disorder. In 2010 and 2013, Zeta-Jones entered treatment programs to help her with managing her illness and all of this combined ended up taking its toll on their marriage.

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1. Reconciliation

Despite being on the brink of a divorce in 2013, Catherine and Michael reconciled in 2015. According to Michael, it took a lot of hard work on both their parts. “It can’t be a one-way street,” he said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “But I’m crazy about her. And yeah, 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.”

A photo posted by Catherine Zeta-Jones (@catherinezetajones) on Nov 18, 2015 at 9:07am PST

Cate

Cate has a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature and has been the Managing Editor of Fame10 for more than 6 years. Despite having a love for the works of Thomas Hardy, Leo Tolstoy and Lord Byron, she also has an intense fascination with pop culture. When she isn’t writing for Fame10, she’s planning her next big adventure in Southeast Asia.