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<\/p>\nActors Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have been together for over 20 years. In almost every <\/p>\n
interview, they are asked to tell about the secret of a strong family, which we will try to understand today.<\/p>\n
It is an exceptional case, but the couple were born on the same day, September 25, just 25 years apart. <\/p>\n
They overcame many difficulties together, but as a result of all that, they made their family stronger and more beautiful.<\/p>\n
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The first meeting<\/p>\n
In a 2001 interview with Larry King, Catherine Zeta-Jones said that she met Michael Douglas in 1996 at the Deauville Film Festival in France.<\/p>\n
\u2018They said that Michael Douglas wants to meet me. I was a little anxious, that’s why I didn’t understand what he wanted to talk to me about.\u2019<\/p>\n
At the time, Douglas was presenting his film The Perfect Murder, and Zeta-Jones was presenting The Mask of Zorro. The first time she saw the famous actor was at her hotel, but Douglas just passed by.<\/p>\n
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\u2018I told my brother who was next to me that most likely Michael doesn’t even want to meet me, because he just passed by me and didn’t even recognize me,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
They were introduced at a Mask of Zorro dinner by mutual friends Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith, <\/p>\n
who were husband and wife at the time. Douglas, being a true gentleman, asked if he could sit next to Catherine.<\/p>\n
\u2018Maybe I made a mistake, but after 30 minutes of communication, I looked at her and said: \u2018You know, I’m going to be the father of your children,\u2019 to which Catherine replied. <\/p>\n
\u2018I have heard many things about you. I think that’s all true. Good night,\u2019 the actor recalled.<\/p>\n
The next day, Zeta-Jones left town, but Douglas did not give up on the idea of \u200b\u200bcapturing her. He sent flowers and apologized for his behavior.<\/p>\n
\u2018I think I failed completely, but I’m happy to say that we finally got in touch, and the rest is history,\u2019 added the actor.<\/p>\n
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These are the words of the actress. \u2018 After 9 months, I realized that I talk to him on the phone for hours, cook wonderful dinners and constantly ask why we are not together. <\/p>\n
He didn’t want me on his list of ex-girlfriends, and I didn’t want him to be my boyfriend. But once we looked at each other and realized how happy we are together.\u2019<\/p>\n
That’s how the romance began, and the tabloids immediately wrote about their age difference and expected an imminent separation.<\/p>\n
\u2018Historically, this is how mature men and young women meet. It’s funny that Michael is the same age as my parents, but when we all met, they never thought that he was older than me,\u2019 the actress admitted.<\/p>\n
A marriage proposal<\/p>\n
Douglas proposed to Zeta-Jones in 1999. New Year’s Eve at his home in Aspen. \u2018We were both sick and drunk,\u2019 Douglas told ITV in 2016.<\/p>\n
He gave his future wife a vintage ring worth $1 million. And the final proposal was after they found out that Catherine was pregnant. <\/p>\n
The actor was overjoyed and wanted to get married as soon as possible. But he was still officially married to Diandra Luker at the time, with whom they have a son together. <\/p>\n
He resolved the divorce issue quickly enough, agreeing to fulfill all the demands of the woman and giving her 60 million dollars.<\/p>\n
In August 2000, the son of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dylan, was born.<\/p>\n
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The wedding<\/p>\n
On November 18, 2000, the couple got married at the famous Plaza Hotel in New York. Many media considered the wedding the event of the year. <\/p>\n
1.5 million dollars were spent on the ceremony. David Emanuel, who created the famous wedding dress of Princess Diana, was responsible for the $250,000 dress.<\/p>\n
Among the guests were Jennifer Aniston, Sean Connery, Russell Crowe, Danny DeVito, Tom Hanks, Goldie Hawn, <\/p>\n
Anthony Hopkins, Jack Nicholson, Brad Pitt, Meg Ryan, Steven Spielberg, Sharon Stone and many more celebrities.<\/p>\n
Douglas was 56 at the time and Zeta-Jones was 31. The right to photograph the wedding was given to the British magazine OK. <\/p>\n
Catherine wanted the wedding to be very romantic. She asked Michael not to cry or look at her when she walked to the altar.<\/p>\n
They did not go on their honeymoon, instead they stayed at home with their 4-month-old son. In 2003, their daughter Keris was born. <\/p>\n
After that, they moved to Bermuda, where Michael also grew up. They bought a mansion worth 2.5 million dollars. Everyone liked the quiet life without photographers.<\/p>\n
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Keris once admitted that for a long time she did not even know that her parents were famous. \u2018I thought my father was making donuts. Honestly, I didn’t know he was an actor.\u2019<\/p>\n
But in 2009 they returned to the USA and started living in New York.<\/p>\n
\u2018I hated living in Manhattan. Photographers used to go down the subway with me and sit in front of me. I was about 6 years old, I didn’t know how to react to all that,\u2019 she added.<\/p>\n
The disease<\/p>\n
Soon the family faced a bigger problem. In 2010, they went through real hell. Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer. <\/p>\n
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments were too difficult for him. \u2018The hardest thing was to see his fatigue. Michael never got tired\u2019 said Catherine.<\/p>\n
That same year, Douglas’ eldest son Cameron was arrested and charged with drug possession. He was initially sentenced to 5 years in prison, <\/p>\n
but later spent longer in prison, spending 2 years in solitary confinement. He admitted that he was helped by the love of Catherine and other family members.<\/p>\n
In 2011, Michael Douglas revealed that he had recovered, with Catherine spending more than a year at his bedside caring for him non-stop. <\/p>\n
\u2018It may seem surprising, but during the entire treatment I never thought I might die,\u2019 Douglas said.<\/p>\n
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But 3 months later, Zeta-Jones needed help when she was transferred to a psychiatric hospital due to bipolar disorder. The actress overcame it and tried to help other people by her example.<\/p>\n
In 2013, she sought help again, and 4 months later, E! the periodical reported that the couple decided to separate. <\/p>\n
As a result, they lived separately for 8 months. The actor claimed during that time that they are trying to fix the relationship. By the end of the year, they had indeed reconciled.<\/p>\n
\u2018I’m crazy about Catherine. Everyone goes through difficult times like this. But we’re back and we’re stronger than ever,\u2019 Michael said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2015.<\/p>\n
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Time together<\/p>\n
Even today, they are together and continue to do their favorite work. The pandemic of 2020 made the Zeta-Jones and Douglas family even stronger.<\/p>\n
\u2018If we can overcome such things, you will be able to do anything,\u2019 thinks Catherine.<\/p>\n