Michael Douglas Cooks for Kids, Wife Happily Sews Clothes — Inside Their Normal Life Despite $350M Fortune

• Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are about to celebrate 25 years together.

• Michael cooks for Zeta-Jones regularly while she enjoys sewing and nursing his granddaughter.

• The pair live in the countryside and still go on dates.

Hollywood couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones first met in 1998 at the Deauville Film Festival. In 2001, the actress recalled someone telling her that the actor desired to meet her in person.

However, she was skeptical about the meeting because she had yet to find out why Douglas wanted to see her, making her anxious.

While she felt that way, the New Jersey native already knew what the future held for them both but worried that he may have ruined his chance with her. During an appearance on "The Jonathan Ross Show," in 2016, Douglas revealed how he wooed the Welsh native:

"I said to her after about half an hour [of hanging out], 'You know, I'm going to be the father of your children.'"

That move did not go down too well for Douglas as Zeta-Jones was not impressed at all—even though he was convinced that the pickup line would charm her. He said:

"It sounded good, and she said, 'You know, I've heard a lot about you and I've seen a lot about you, and I think it's time I say goodnight.'"

Douglas later reached out to Zeta-Jones by sending her flowers as an apology, and she received his efforts well this time. That said, he decided to take things to the next level by proposing to her in 1999.

The lovebirds walked down the aisle in a lavish wedding at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on November 18, 2000. The star-studded event included actors Brad Pitt, Whoopi Goldberg, Goldie Hawn, Tom Hanks, and Anthony Hopkins.

The bride donned a David Emanuel gown for the couple's big day, and her stepson, then-21-year-old Cameron, served as the best man. Douglas shares his first child with his former wife, Diandra Luker.

The film producer and Zeta-Jones also had their then-3-month-old son, Dylan, at the nuptials, whom they welcomed on August 8, 2000.

The duo expanded their family when they had their second child, daughter Carys, on April 20, 2003, who arrived in Ridgewood, New Jersey, near the family's Manhattan home.

Together, Douglas and Zeta-Jones are worth a fortune. The couple reportedly owns an estate in Spain which they purchased for $3.5 million in 1990.

The pair have since tried to sell the property for $60 million, which is estimated to make their net worths even more worthwhile by several tens of millions. The parents of two also sold their $11.2 million Westchester Country home for a reported $20.5 million.

Zeta-Jones and Douglas have also invested in an enormous apartment in New York City, including a $4.5 million place in Irvington and a casual house in Bermuda.

Singlehandedly, the "Wednesday" star is worth $150 million. A chunk of that wealth is thanks to her and her husband's property investment portfolio. Together, the stars have a combined net worth of $350 million.

Living like a Normal Family

Despite their huge earnings, Douglas and Zeta-Jones lead normal lives. The doting father even cooks for his kids. When the couple's marriage hit rock bottom in 2013, he moved out of their New York penthouse overlooking Central Park. Still, the Emmy Award winner regularly made his way there to make breakfast for his brood.

Douglas went there every morning to whip up fluffy pancakes topped with maple syrup – which his children loved. A close family friend revealed in 2013 that he even took the frying pan to work. In the evenings, the father of three would return to their home to go and watch television with his son and daughter before they went to sleep.

Meanwhile, his beloved wife is also a loving stepparent to his son Cameron and a doting step-grandmother to her stepson's daughter, Lua. She gushed over her in February 2020 on social media.

The then-two-year-old posed wearing sunglasses and a bucket hat, and Zeta-Jones captioned the post: "My love. Lua Douglas. Rocking it!!!"

Cameron welcomed his firstborn with his significant other, Viviane Thibes, in 2017. Following the birth of the first Douglas grandchild, the family patriarch revealed he and his spouse were "so happy to be her Bubba and Zeze."

Months later, the new dad posted a picture of his infant child with Zeta-Jones and wrote: "Zeze and Lua. Watch out for this duo! #Thoroughlyblessed #Loved and #Spoiled.”

The actor previously spoke lovingly of his famous stepmother. Cameron said when Zeta-Jones came into his father's life, things could have panned out differently because of her age.

He stated that in society, there are usually "stories" about young stepmoms who join an existing family only to sideline the kids from a previous union. However, that did not happen with the brunette beauty because he quickly warmed up to her the first time they met.

During that time, he suggested they be friends and gave her a warm welcome to the Douglas family. Cameron assured his stepmother that she was one of them. Since that day, he revealed she has remained true to herself and has become the glue in the family.

Zeta-Jones's love for her stepchild is mutual. When Cameron released his book, "Long Way Home," in 2019, she delightfully celebrated him on social media, penning: "I am so proud of you Cam and I love you with all my heart."

Moreover, in June 2020, Zeta-Jones shared what she and her family were up to amid the lockdown. She and Douglas were isolated in Irvington, New York, with their teenage son and daughter.

While cooped up, the mother of two revealed they were "Playing cards, playing Monopoly, having three meals a day," adding, "we haven't killed each other. We've respected each other's space just to have the time to be together and to talk. It's been great."

The family matriarch added she "enjoyed" spending time with her loved ones in their 1930s Georgian-style home. The $4.5 million mansion features a wood-paneled library, a fitness room, a swimming pool, and a game room where the heads of the family spend much of their time playing pool.

Besides that, Zeta-Jones also showed off her piano skills with her pet dog, Taylor. She joked on social media that her pup was her "biggest fan" when playing the musical instrument.

The Academy Award winner's son Dylan has also shown an interest in playing the piano but failed to impress his younger sister Carys with his skills.

Their mom shared a glimpse into their lives again in November 2021 when she posted a clip of them celebrating Thanksgiving while having dinner.

"Happy Thanksgiving to all. So much to be thankful for," Zeta-Jones penned alongside the video upload. They feasted on her "favorite" stuffed pears prepared by the couple's daughter. "Just for dinner the beginning," said the happy mom.

The "Chicago" star's husband also gave fans a glimpse of the festivities from their evening, which included a piano singalong with relatives. Douglas captioned his post: "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Wishing you all a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!"

In their free time, Zeta-Jones and Douglas go on walks together. "We'll walk around a golf course together for four hours at a time," she disclosed.

Apart from spending quality time with her spouse, the humanitarian has individual hobbies, which include sewing. In April 2021, Zeta-Jones posted a video of her and her mother sewing together.

“As you can see, my mom and I have been working like little beavers building a dam," the Tony Award winner said in the clip. Zeta-Jones showed her fans how she and her mother worked together using sewing machines to make cushions and curtains. She captioned her post: "Two Welsh seamstresses, two sewing machines. Perfect!!"

Zeta-Jones and Douglas were joined by her parents at his coastal estate in Mallorca, near Valldemossa, for the summer holiday at the time.

Secret to Their Long Relationship

Douglas and his wife have a 25-year age difference, but that has not stopped their relationship from flourishing. Interestingly, the pair share the same birthday.

When reflecting on the couple's age gap, Zeta-Jones explained having mutual "respect" for one another has gone a long way in maintaining their romance.

Moreover, she admitted the age factor has never made her see Douglas any different other than him being his romantic partner. She revealed some people have brought up the subject before:

"We're just very good with one another, we respect each other, and I never feel that he's 25 years older than me. I remember people saying, 'When you're 50, he's going to be 75.' Well, that's just maths."

In 2021, Zeta-Jones revealed the secret to the longevity of her marriage to Douglas is having a good time together. She added "constant love" and maintaining a "sense of humor" are essential.

Zeta-Jones once admitted she is one lucky woman for choosing Douglas as her partner. While at it, she raved about her spouse of over twenty years and praised his fatherhood skills and his career:

"He's a wonderful husband. He's a wonderful father. He happens to be a wonderful actor. But for us, he's just Michael."

The "Red 2" star acknowledged their marriage is without its challenges. Mainly because she and the "Fatal Attraction" star share the same home and see each other every day:

"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. I've been waking up to Michael for nearly 25 years. I love being married, but it's a crazy thing when you think about it."

To ensure the pair do not butt heads consistently, Zeta-Jones shared the fundamental set-up in her home with Douglas in December 2022.

During an appearance on Kelly Clarkson's "The Kelly Clarkson Show," the host asked: "You're big on saying marriage is; it only goes well when you have two bathrooms. Right? You have your own bathroom," to which Zeta-Jones replied: Yeah," and Clarkson responded, "I second this."

She added: "Because I don't know what it is about dudes. Why is there hair everywhere?" to which Zeta-Jones replied: "Yeah, toothpaste, tops off."

"But you know what, it doesn't have to be about – it's a bit grandiose, 'Oh, we need our own bathrooms,' it's just, I'm all for man caves, girl caves. Go and party with the hot rods in the garage; go plant a few herbs in the garden," Zeta-Jones explained.

Nonetheless, the BAFTA Award winner cherishes time spent with her beloved husband and kids – which, according to her – improves every time. Zeta-Jones stepped out for a red-carpet premiere of "National Treasure: Edge of History with her son Dylan in December 2022 when she got candid about their home life.

"I enjoy every minute with this guy. Well, he's a good son. It's just the best," she gushed and went on to add what her family life is like:

"I mean, each year gets better and better and with such good friends, I think, in our family, which is great."

This was the second time Zeta-Jones brought along her child as a date to a big movie premiere. She went with him to attend the Los Angeles premiere of her Netflix Adams Family series, "Wednesday," in November 2022.

"Of the experience, she said at the time, "Well, first of all, my husband Michael is very happy that this is my date! A collaboration between the two of us, the gift that keeps on giving."

Zeta-Jones divulged both the couple's children had been "incredibly supportive" toward her career and to her as an individual. She shared she and her offspring have a "close" bond and expressed gratitude for being highly favored to have them in her life.

Naturally, the award-winning mom was happy because her son genuinely wanted to spend time with his parents. When speaking of their work onscreen, Dylan expressed awe at what his mom and dad have achieved. He added that accompanying them to such events sparked his interest in the entertainment industry.

At the time, the youngster's mother shared the family's holiday plans. She revealed that Douglas was working in Europe but that they would reunite to celebrate the season together.

Zeta-Jones stated that spending time together as a unit during the holidays is always something to look forward to. "To have our little nucleus back together is always the best," she marveled.

The A-lister also dished how she and Douglas raised their son and daughter over the years. The doting mom shared that she and her two-time Oscar-winning spouse told their offspring that being public figures alone was not gratifying.

Zeta-Jones explained to her kids that being a celebrity is not the same as being an actor, noting that the siblings knew that one needs little effort to become famous. "In fact, bad behavior makes it ten times easier," said the loving parent.