Michael Douglas Dishes Secret To Happy Marriage With Catherine Zeta-Jones

Source Irish Times

Michael Douglas is dishing the secret to his long and happy marriage with Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The couple has been married for nearly 19-years. Douglas got candid in an interview with Us Weekly regarding what it takes to keep the marriage happy, fresh and spicy.

“I think it just comes out of courtesy. You know, I think sometimes we take the person closest to us for granted. I would say sometimes we make more of an effort with strangers than we do with the person who’s closest to us. And I’ve always tried to remember how fortunate I am and what an extraordinary lady she is and daily remember of that kind of respect,” he shared with the magazine at the Paley Center Honors.

There is a 25-year age difference between Douglas and his wife. They are actually born on the same day, making them precisely a quarter-century apart. Zeta-Jones and Douglas have certainly proved age doesn’t matter when it comes to a long healthy relationship.

The Romancing The Stone star explains he has learned two things from his long-lasting marriage. One is that when fighting with a spouse or significant other, it is crucial to keep it civil. Second is that talking is the key to any successful relationship. When a couple can talk instead of yell and scream, it changes the dynamic of a marriage.

“It’s taken me a long time, but resentment is an easy thing to keep under the surface. I think most of the times it’s really good to get things out sooner than later,” the 74-year-old Hollywood A-lister expressed.

Zeta-Jones and her hubby tied the knot in 2000. They have two children together, son Dylan, age 19 and daughter Carys, age 16.

Although they are celebrating almost 20-years of marriage, the couple is also facing a new milestone in their marriage. Dylan is away at college and Carys is away right now too, for what Douglas didn’t say but the couple is experiencing empty nest syndrome.

There will be fewer chats about their babies, and that is going to be new territory for the parents. The actor and his wife are embracing the change, even if it is challenging.

Michael Douglas says respect, flexibility, and talking are the keys to his successful marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones. It seems pretty straightforward, but even the actor acknowledged it took him a while to figure out the secret.