Michael Douglas didn’t just choose Catherine Zeta-Jones — he called five other women in one day to make sure she was the only one.
asserted
she → choose → day
The two-time Oscar winner pulls back the curtain on his extraordinary life in his new memoir, "One Helluva Ride," revealing his struggle to escape his father Kirk Douglas’ towering shadow, his past affairs and drug use, his terrifying battle with stage IV cancer — and the highs and lows of his decades-long love story with the actress.
asserted
winner → pull → actress
Douglas first fell head over heels for Zeta-Jones when she caught his eye in the 1998 movie "The Mask of Zorro."
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she → fall → Zorro
Douglas, who is 25 years older than Zeta-Jones, later came across an interview in which she said she liked older men.
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she → come → men
He thought he had a chance.
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he → think → chance
Douglas went on to meet Zeta-Jones at the Deauville Film Festival in France.
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Douglas → go → France
As the evening came to an end, Douglas blurted out, "I'm going to be the father of your children."
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Zeta-Jones wasn't exactly swept off her feet.
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Jones → come → feet
She knew about Douglas’ reputation as a Hollywood womanizer and remained wary of his intentions.
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She → know → intentions
Douglas, however, was determined to convince her that this time he was serious.
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he → convince → her
Eventually, Zeta-Jones was willing to give Douglas a chance, but under one condition: he needed to be monogamous.
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he → give → condition
WATCH: MICHAEL DOUGLAS SHARES LESSONS ON CANCER, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
"I'm not interested in dating you if you're dating other people," she told him.
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she → watch → him
"You can either continue with them or end it and be with me."
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You → continue → me
That day, Douglas wrote, he made five phone calls to five women he was seeing who lived in different cities.
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who → write → cities
"Just after my marriage, I had been seeing five other women," he wrote.
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he → see → women
"They knew I was recently separated and in the process of getting a divorce.
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I → know → divorce
I made sure they all lived in different cities, which felt like a respectful way to be nonmonogamous.
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which → make → way
None of them asked for a commitment or even asked what else I was up to.
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I → ask → what
I am sure they were seeing other people, too."
He told each woman he had met someone and could no longer see her.
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he → see → her
According to Douglas, "they all took it well."
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they → accord → it
The couple married in 2000.
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couple → marry → 2000
They welcomed their son, Dylan, that year, followed by their daughter, Carys, in 2003.
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They → welcome → 2003
Today, the couple split their time between New York, Mallorca and Santa Barbara.
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couple → split → York
In the book, Douglas wrote that in 2013, the couple went on vacation and, upon returning, "had a heart-to-heart" about their relationship.
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couple → write → relationship
"We had been married for more than a decade," Douglas recalled.
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Douglas → marry → decade
"We had just gone through a period where a number of challenges came at us all at once.
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number → go → us
We decided to take some time apart.
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We → decide → time
We still loved each other immensely, but we needed to make sure that being married was the right thing for all of us."
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was → love → us
"The entire ordeal was incredibly difficult," Douglas wrote.
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Douglas → write → ?
"Catherine and I have a very intense, deep love for each other.
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Catherine → have → other
And we love our kids dearly.
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we → love → kids
We worked hard to make sure they understood that this wasn't their fault.
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this → work → ?
I had learned the hard way that staying together for the children isn't always the right course of action.
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staying → learn → action
Sometimes you need to take a step back and make sure you're doing what's best for your whole family."
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what → need → family
Douglas and Zeta-Jones had weathered an extraordinarily difficult stretch for their family.
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Douglas → weather → family
In 2010, Douglas was diagnosed with cancer.
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Douglas → diagnose → cancer
That same year, his eldest son, Cameron Douglas, was battling addiction and was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to drug charges.
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son → battle → charges
At the same time, Douglas was embroiled in a legal dispute with his ex-wife, Diandra Luker, over proceeds from "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."
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Money → embroil → Street
In his memoir, Douglas acknowledged that the mounting pressure took a toll on his wife, writing that "all of that stress" was "heaped onto" Zeta-Jones.
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all → acknowledge → Jones
Zeta-Jones and the couple’s two children, Dylan and Carys, stayed in the family’s home in Bedford, New York.
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Jones → stay → Bedford
Douglas rented another place nearby so he could still see the children.
uncertain
he → rent → children
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
