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Inside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas’ critic-defying 25-year marriage
18 November 2025, 17:39
“And they said it would never last!” Catherine quipped in a recent interview.
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Congratulations to Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas on their 25th wedding anniversary!
The couple tied the knot at a lavish New York City wedding on November 18, 2000, and despite a brief split in 2013, remain together today.
- Catherine Zeta-Jones' response to those who said Michael Douglas romance ‘would never last’
- Catherine Zeta-Jones' son, 22, is the spitting image of Michael Douglas in new pictures
- Michael Douglas shows off his son's incredible singing skills in home video: 'So proud of my boy'
Catherine and Michael are proud parents to their children, Dylan, 25, and Carys, 22; love golfing; and even once starred in a film together (Traffic, 2000).
Here’s everything there is to know about the celebrity couple’s relationship history...
How did Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas meet?
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas first met in 1998 at the Deauville Film Festival.
Both stars were there to promote different projects: for Catherine it was The Mask of Zorro, meanwhile Michael was there to promote A Perfect Murder.
Michael had seen Catherine in The Mask of Zorro earlier in the year, and the Welsh actress had made quite an impression on him.
THE MASK OF ZORRO [1998] - Official Trailer (HD)
As a result, the Basic Instinct star set about arranging a meeting with Catherine while they were both at Deauville.
In an interview with Jonathan Ross in 2016, Michael said he was a “total gentleman” to Catherine when they first met, but admitted he soon began flirting with the actress, who is 25 years his junior.
“You know, I’m going to be the father of your children,” he told Catherine, who initially wasn’t sure about the actor’s advances.
She replied: “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,” but the two stayed in touch.
Speaking with Access Hollywood in 2019, Catherine revealed she still owned the card from a bunch of flowers Michael sent her after their first meeting.
She also joked about his confident children-related comment, adding: “You know what the worst thing is?... He was right!”
What have Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones said about their age gap?
Michael and Catherine’s 25-year age gap has raised many eyebrows over the years.
When the pair met, Michael was 54 and Catherine was 29 years old, and both of the pair have addressed this age difference in interviews since.
“We're just very good with one another, we respect each other, and I never really feel that he's 25 years older than me,” Catherine told The Telegraph in 2022.
“I remember people saying, 'When you're 50, he's going to be 75.' Well, that’s just maths.”
She told WSJ Magazine in 2021: “My husband is 25 years older than me; that's not a secret…. The constant is love and respect.”
Michael has spoken positively about the couple’s age gap in the past, citing his wife’s youth as a help in keeping him feeling young, just as his children also do.
Did Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones split?
Michael and Catherine are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary this year, and are looking ahead to spending even more time together as husband and wife.
However, the pair did go through a brief split between 2013 and 2014.
“We had a little bump in the road,” Michael told Event magazine in 2015.
“The problem in this business is that everything is so public. I love Catherine as much, more than I ever have. And hopefully the feeling’s mutual.
“We worked things out – if both people want to work something out and make it better, you can do it," he said. "You can’t do it if it’s just one person.”
Catherine told The Telegraph in 2022: “It's impossible for there not to be ups and downs if you live with the same person and wake up with them every day.”
But it’s clear the couple were both committed to working through their issues to remain together.
What have Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones said about their 25-year-long marriage?
Speaking about the pair’s 25-year union in an interview with The Sun in 2025, Catherine joked: “And they said it would never last!
“We’ve been married 25 years, it’s something to celebrate,” she added. “[Marriage] is a journey of learning and loving and fun, and the prospect of reaching a 25-year anniversary is really quite thrilling.”
