Catherine Zeta-Jones, 57, shared an intimate kiss with her husband Michael Douglas, 82, in the sea on Friday to mark their shared birthday. The actress posted a photograph to Instagram, capturing the tender moment as the couple celebrated Douglas turning 82 and her turning 57.
In the image, Catherine wore blue-tinted glasses while Michael donned all-black shades as they shared a kiss for the camera. She wrote alongside the picture: “Happy Birthday darling! A birthday kiss to my husband Michael, sharing this special day with you, is as special as the day itself. Love you,” with two kissing emojis.
A Couple's History
Catherine and Michael, who wed in 2000, are parents to son Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23. Douglas first met Zeta-Jones, who is 25 years his junior, at the 1998 Deauville Film Festival, where she was promoting The Mask of Zorro and he, A Perfect Murder.
In 2016 on The Jonathan Ross Show, Douglas shared that he asked his publicist to arrange a meeting between the two of them that evening. He commented: “I met her in the bar and was a total gentleman.” Douglas recalled telling her: “You know, I'm going to be the father of your children.”
The Basic Instinct star popped the question during a New Year's Eve trip to Aspen, Colorado, in 1999. Rumours had been circling that Zeta-Jones was pregnant, which was eventually confirmed by Douglas. He told People: “We obviously were hoping to hang onto this information a little longer than expected but, yep, Catherine's expecting, and both of us couldn't be happier.”
Family Milestones
On August 8, they welcomed their first child, Dylan Douglas, with the actor's publicist stating: “They're ecstatic.” A few months later, the stars tied the knot at a stunning ceremony at the Plaza Hotel in New York in November 2000. Zeta-Jones wore a David Emanuel dress, and a plethora of famous faces were in attendance, like Whoopi Goldberg, Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, and Tom Hanks.
The Wednesday star didn't find out she was pregnant with her second child until towards the end of filming Intolerable Cruelty. She shared: “The day after, I went to my doctor. I came home and told Michael. He let out a whoop. I never wanted Dylan to be an only child. Because of my amazing relationship with my siblings, I couldn't see him being the Little Lord Dylan on his own.”
The couple welcomed their daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas, on Easter Sunday in 2003.
Overcoming Challenges
Much to Hollywood's shock, Douglas and Zeta-Jones did separate in August 2013, with a source telling People that the stress of his cancer battle and her struggles with bipolar II disorder had taken its toll. However, later that year, Douglas positively updated People: “We're working things out, talking, and we'll see how she goes.”
This wasn't the end of their marriage, with the famous couple reuniting once again and proving happier than ever. Opening up on The Ellen DeGeneres Show two years later, Douglas said: “It can't be a one-way street. 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. We're back stronger than ever.”
Twenty-five years after getting married, Douglas and Zeta-Jones have remained one of the most stable couples in the world of entertainment. And going from her post on his birthday, the pair are still keeping the romance alive.