Michael Douglas Told Catherine Zeta-Jones He Would Father Her Kids during 1st Meeting despite Their 25-Year Gap

When Michael Douglas first met Catherine Zeta-Jones in 1996, he was 52. At the time, she was 27, and despite the 25-year age difference between them, he told her he would be the father of her kids.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who got married in 2000, have proven that age does not stand in the way of their love. Even after two decades, their relationship has only gotten stronger.

Douglas began his career by being an assistant director but achieved fame when he starred in "Streets of San Francisco." He went on to star in "Wall Street," "Fatal Attraction," "Basic Instinct," and more.

Douglas is also an Academy Award-winning producer. In 2004, he was given the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Cecil B. DeMille Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field."

Zeta-Jones is also an Academy Award-winning actress who started with touring productions and rose to fame after transitioning from theatre to television and film. She starred in movies like "Entrapment," "The Mask of Zorro," "Rock of Ages," "Dad's Army," "Red 2," and made a return to television in 2017 with "Feud: Bette and Joan."

Michael’s First Marriage & His Only Regret

In March 1977, Douglas married his first wife, Diandra Luker. The couple got separated in 1995, they finalized their divorce in 2000, and it cost him a rumored thirty million pounds.

Douglas revealed that his marriage to Luker should have ended eight or ten years earlier. His only regret was not ending it sooner than it did. After their divorce, the couple, who shared one son, Cameron, shared their Mallorca home for six months each. For Douglas, the experience was an uncomfortable one.

Michael Took Another Chance at Love with a Cheesy Pickup Line

Zeta-Jones said they met in 1996 at the Deauville Film Festival after she was told Douglas wanted to meet her. She got nervous because she didn't know why he wanted to meet her.

Zeta-Jones and Douglas were at the hotel promoting "Zorro" and "A Perfect Murder," respectively. After walking past him in the hotel lobby, she assumed he didn't want to meet her that much because she felt he didn't recognize her.

While at the dinner for the "Zorro" premiere, their mutual friends Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith introduced them. She recalled Douglas being very gentlemanly when he asked her if he could sit next to her.

According to Douglas, he had seen her in the movie "Zorro" and asked his publicist to find out if he could have a drink with her. His publicist said it was possible, but she was only available for one night.

He met her in the bar, but she had to work, so he invited her for a nightcap. Thirty minutes after she came back for the nightcap, he said,

"You know, I'm going to be the father of your children."

While it sounded good to him, she told him she had heard and seen a lot about him and told him goodnight after. The actor then moved quickly, sending her flowers and an apology.

Nine months after their eventful meeting, they were still having long conversations on the phone and great dinner dates. Zeta-Jones constantly wondered why they were not together. When they sat down and talked about it, he told her that she was a freak and thought she had no interest. Their initial relationship was never sexual.

They became friends and didn't want each other on an ex-partner list. Douglas and Zeta-Jones realized they were having a lot of fun together, and in no time, he invited her to Spain.

Catherine and Michael’s Marriage Was Once Filled with Age Gap Controversies & Threat of Separation

On November 18, 2000, Douglas married Zeta-Jones in a lavish ceremony at New York's Plaza Hotel. The wedding cost over one million pounds and was called the "celebrity wedding of the year."

Douglas had his son from his first marriage as his best man at the star-studded wedding, which had guests showing their unique invitations before they let them in. The couple shares the same birthday, only 25 years apart, and their age gap had been the talk of the tabloids in the past. However, the couple has never felt the age gap between them.

Also, even though he is the same age as her parents, they never raised an eyebrow. When asked if she had ever felt it, she said,

"Never. And Michael never makes me feel like that."

She further revealed, "he is the kindest man I have ever met in my life. His sense of humor, he is actually quite funny in his show. But he is my best friend."

In 2013, the couple separated to work on and evaluate things in their relationship and eventually got back together eight months later. Since then, Douglas and his wife have been going strong.

A Celebration of an Enduring Love for More than Two Decades

In November 2021, the couple celebrated their 21st anniversary, and Zeta-Jones took to her Instagram page to post a black and white picture of both of them. In her caption, she wished Douglas a happy anniversary and was glad that he had always had her back for over 21 years.

Over two decades later, Zeta-Jones and Douglas are still madly in love with each other, and they take to their social media to show this love off, especially on their birthdays, where she serenades him with sweet words.

On Valentine's Day in 2020, she took to her Instagram to post a picture of them kissing by a dock with love bubbles around them while she referred to him as her forever Valentine. The couple still loves traveling and gets to explore the world when they can.

From skiing to spending time in India and touring Jerusalem, they continually do what makes them happy together. Zeta-Jones revealed that one of the secrets to their long marriage is having a lot of fun together. She also said,

"The constant is love and respect. We've never, ever lost our sense of humor, and we enjoy each other's company."

She went on to say they also get to spend a lot of time together while respecting each other's space. Although his pickup line was cheesy, Michael did end up fathering Zeta-Jones' children.

Meet Michael and Catherine’s Wonderful Children

Douglas's son from his first marriage was born in 1978, shortly after his marriage to his first wife. Cameron, who looks like his dad, also pursued a career in acting. He and his partner Viviane Thibes have two children.

Douglas and Zeta-Jones have two children. Their first son, Dylan, was born in August 2000. He has also dabbled in acting and shown his musical talents on his social media page. Their daughter, Carys, began a career in fashion at 15. She uses her social media to pay tribute to her family while showing off her travels.

In December 2022, Dylan appeared with his mother at the Hollywood premiere of "National Treasure: Edge of History." Speaking to the media, he hilariously admitted that he never gave Zeta-Jones feedback on her acting because she's an Academy Award winner and didn't need it!

The actress laughed when he confessed to her giving him feedback that was good and needed. When asked what some of the best advice she'd given him, Dylan said it was to "Be yourself," and if people liked you or didn't, so be it.

The star had advised her son to "always be true to yourself." In 2019, Dylan attended Brown University, where he worked on getting his degree with his mother confessing that they missed him, but he did admit that having her Instagram about his life was a "little bit embarrassing."

He brushed her acts off as something that mothers did! On the other hand, Carys liked that their father joined the platform because before, he'd ask things like "What's on the Instagram today?"

However, Douglas was getting used to the language used on the social media platform. A year before that interview, Dylan's father said it was difficult accepting that he was going to return home with them after going off to college.

Showing how close she is to her brother, Carys admitted that he's her "best friend" and they are "very close," making it difficult for her when he left. However, she was still excited for him and knew he'd enjoy his time in college.

For her part, Carys, 20, made her Cannes Film Festival debut in May 2023 alongside her parents. In 2018, Zeta-Jones shared how close she is to her daughter and described her as a "good girl" and that they have fun together enjoying sports, art, and traveling.

Four years later, the actress also noted how close her family is to each other. Carys, who believed in sticking to one's guns, also got into music and used the initials of her name, CZD, as a stage name.

In October 2019, Carys uploaded a beautiful Instagram photo of her dancing with her mother. Social media users were thrilled to see the pair, with one person noting how the young woman is the "image" of her mother, while another added:

"How stunning are you two."

Someone else thought the mother-daughter pair looks "so beautiful." A Carys fan called her and Douglas's wife "twins," while another one said they are "like mother, like daughter."