In his new memoir, One Helluva Ride, Michael Douglas opened up about the early stages of his relationship with his now-wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones. The producer revealed that he spent nine months trying to persuade the star to be his girlfriend.
Despite Michael pressing her to stay for drinks, Catherine regularly left their dates early, arranging for her father or brother to pick her up. "It finally dawned on me. She wanted to take it slow," Michael penned in his book. He explained that there was "nothing physical" between them for nine months.
Catherine wanted to progress slowly as she didn’t want to "become just an ex-girlfriend" on the roster. "I’m not interested in dating you if you’re dating other people. You can either continue with them or end it and be with me," the actress told Michael, as he recalled in his memoir.
© Instagram"Wait here, I have to make five quick calls," replied Michael. In his book, he explained: "Just after my marriage, I had been seeing five other women. They knew I was recently separated and in the process of getting a divorce. I made sure they all lived in different cities, which felt like a respectful way to be nonmonogamous. None of them asked for commitment."
Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' marriage
Michael and Catherine tied the knot back in November 2000, with a lavish ceremony in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel in New York. The couple are parents to son Dylan and daughter Carys. Michael is also a father to his son Cameron from his previous marriage to Diandra Luker. Michael and Catherine briefly separated in August 2013, but reconciled a year later.
© Getty Images"We had just gone through a period where a number of challenges came at us all at once. We decided to take some time apart. We still loved each other immensely, but we needed to make sure that being married was the right thing for all of us," Michael penned of the split.
© Getty Images"From the second we separated, I never gave up hope that we would reconcile. I love Catherine in a way that I have never loved any other woman."
© Getty ImagesHe continued: "She’s my wife, my best friend, and my life partner. I could never lose her. As Catherine and I were seeing each other more surrounding the kids – school functions, drop-offs, extracurricular activities – we realized we both missed each other enormously. Taking time away helped reignite the spark that had brought us together. Catherine and I reconciled the following year. Thank God we found our way back to each other. Our marriage deserved a second chance."
