Michael Douglas Reveals Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Seven-Word Ultimatum at Start of Romance

Michael Douglas says Catherine Zeta-Jones made clear that their relationship could not move forward while he was still dating other women. The actor recalled her blunt condition during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, as he discussed the early days of their courtship and stories from his new memoir, One Helluva Ride. Douglas said he was divorced and seeing several people when he began pursuing Zeta-Jones. Asked whether he was surprised by the number of romantic relationships he had experienced, he described how easily he had become involved with co-stars. He then recounted Zeta-Jones telling him: “If we are doing this, you need to clean your act up.” In the memoir, Douglas says Zeta-Jones did not want to date him if he was also seeing other people. He recalled that he had been involved with five women after separating from his first wife, Diandra Luker, and said they lived in different cities. He characterized the arrangement as a way to remain nonmonogamous without promising commitment, while noting that the women knew he was recently separated and going through a divorce. Douglas said he ended those relationships to pursue Zeta-Jones. The pair married at New York’s Plaza Hotel on November 18, 2000. In the book, he also describes the moment he realized he wanted to be with her, saying that seeing her made him feel she was “the one.” The couple’s marriage has had difficult periods, including a six-month separation in 2013, but Douglas’s account focuses on the clear boundary she set at the outset. He has presented her warning as the turning point that required him to choose whether he was ready to commit to their relationship.