Michael Douglas has revealed that when he began dating Catherine Zeta-Jones, he ended relationships with five other women. The actor shared the details during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, following the release of his memoir, One Helluva Ride.
Douglas, 82, met Zeta-Jones, 57, in August 1998 at the Deauville American Film Festival, where he was promoting A Perfect Murder. At the time, he was divorcing his first wife, Diandra Luker, with the divorce finalised in 2000 and Luker receiving a reported $45 million settlement.
Ending Other Relationships
Speaking about the number of romantic relationships he had, Douglas said: "I was a little surprised." He continued: "It was very easy to get comfortable with co-stars and sometimes that got carried away. When I courted Catherine (Zeta Jones), she told me, 'If we are going to do this, you need to clean your act up.'"
He added: "I was divorced and seeing some other people at the time, so I had to call five women to break things off." To avoid complications between his various romances after splitting from Luker, Douglas chose women who lived in different cities.
Early Courtship
In his memoir, Douglas recalled reading an interview in which Zeta-Jones said she liked older men, and he thought he had a chance with her. He wrote: "I said to myself, Hey, I've got a shot!" At their first meeting, he reportedly told her: "I'm going to be the father of your children," to which she replied: "You know, I've heard a lot about you, and I've seen a lot about you, and I think it's time that I say goodnight."
Zeta-Jones later revealed that Douglas sent her flowers while she was working in a remote part of Scotland. She called him a few weeks later on September 25, the day they share a birthday, to wish him happy returns and admit he had been on her mind. The couple married in November 2000.
Slow-Burning Romance
For nine months, there was "nothing physical" between the pair. After watching a boxing match, Zeta-Jones sent Douglas a note reading: "You had me at round one." They went on to have two children: Dylan, 26, and Carys, 23.
Douglas also reflected that had he been more sober when making his initial comment to Zeta-Jones, he "would have said it a little more eloquently."
