Michael Douglas: 'My marriage to Catherine is stronger than ever'

The actor says that the couple's separation helped bring them back together

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones are closer than ever thanks to their brief split.

That’s according to Hollywood actor Douglas, who says the separation from May to November 2013 actually helped strengthen his marriage to Swansea actress Catherine.

He told the Daily Mail: "We’re closer than ever. I think that when both parties want to work something out, they can. It was mutual love that brought us back to each other – we’ve been back together for two years and it’s all worked out just fine.

  "The kids are doing great, too. They had a clear understanding of what was going on – I don’t think there were a lot of secrets kept – and they’re fine now. To sum up, no news is good news, and that’s what we have!”

The actor, currently starring in Ant Man says his late mum Diana and his father Kirk’s second wife Anne helped him understand relationships.

 RELATED: Spit of their mam! Catherine Zeta Jones looks exactly like her mini-mes Carys and Dylan at the same age

"The most important lesson I’ve learned through watching my father’s relationship with Anne, is – happy wife, happy life!’ Michael says, laughing. ‘And I think that is a key ingredient of a good marriage because it means you’ve learned to work as a team. Anne’s a wonderful woman – she’s been so supportive to my father and all of us. She’s terrific.”

He may have grown up under the watchful eye of a Hollywood legend but he says his children Dylan, 14, and Carys, 12, are very down-to-earth, something he and Catherine have encouraged.

"I tell them they have to think hard about what they’re going to do with their life. People are living so much longer now, and my two are going to live to 110 for sure, so the question is – what are they going to do with all the years? They’re great kids. Carys is a dancer and a very, very good one, and Dylan is an actor who also plays in a band. I enjoy being with them a lot."

  Douglas, who battled stage 4 cancer of the tongue is currently starring in cinemas in the superhero movie Ant-Man, playing a scientist who invents a suit that allows a man to shrink to the size of an ant.

And he says it’s nice to have been finally asked to star in such a film – even though Catherine was not fond of his beard.

“No one had ever asked me to be in any of these, and I’d always been a little jealous of my friends Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito who played The Joker and The Penguin in the Batman movies because it looked like they were having such a good time! I was happy to have my chance to do this and I had a wonderful time.”

‘Catherine hated the beard! She didn’t like the way it looked or felt, so as soon as the shoot was over, I shaved it off and she was very happy about that!.”

Michael Douglas: I Lied About Having Throat Cancer

Gareth Cattermole/Enertainment/Getty Images

In a new revealing interview, the ‘Wall Street’ actor admitted that he was NOT telling the whole truth when he announced in August 2010 that he had stage IV throat cancer. So why did he lie?

Really, Michael Douglas? The 69-year-old actor shocked the world in August 2010 when he revealed that he had advanced-stage throat cancer. But on Oct. 10, more than three years later, he made another revelation — that he actually had tongue cancer!

Michael Douglas: I Actually Had Tongue Cancer

Michael admitted that he knowingly deceived the press and public about his health during an interview with Samuel L. Jackson on a Male Cancer Awareness special edition of the UK talk show This Morning.

“This was right before I had on a big tour for Wall Street, so we kind of said there’s no way we can cancel the tour and say we don’t feel well,” Michael told Samuel. “You’ve got to tell them. I said you’ve just got to come out and just tell them I’ve got cancer and that’s it.”
But Michael says his doctors warned him that he may not want to reveal that he had a disease with such a negative prognosis, especially on the heels of a huge movie press tour:

The surgeon said let’s just say it’s throat cancer. I said, “OK, you don’t want to say it’s tongue cancer?” I said, “Why’s that?” and he said, “Well if you really want to know why, if we do have to have surgery it’s not going to be pretty. You’ll lose part of your jaw and your tongue and all that stuff.” So I said, “OK, sure.”

The actor seemed to suggest that he didn’t want to get into the grotesqueries of his disease — and discuss the possibility of losing part of his face — so they decided to disguise the truth.

Michael Douglas: Why Did He Lie About His Cancer?

It’s easy to feel upset and unfairly deceived by Michael’s tongue-throat lie, but he only partly misled everyone. Everything about him having cancer, and it being in Stage IV — the most advanced stage — is true, Michael reinforced. He described the moment he found out about his diagnosis:

I will always remember the look on his face. He said, “We need a biopsy.” There was a walnut-size tumor at the base of my tongue that no other doctor had seen.

So Michael lied to us, but he wasn’t doing it solely for press — he was actually sugarcoating things. The survival rate of throat cancer is about 90 percent if detected early enough, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, while the survival rate of tongue cancer is approximately 85 percent, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The chances for tongue cancer to malignantly spread to other places in the mouth, including the throat, are also higher. And like Michael said, the surgery required to deal with tongue cancer can be more extreme.

As time goes on, our perception of Michael’s disease seems to be ever-changing. He revealed in June 2013 that his cancer was caused by contracting HPV from oral sex, though one of his reps later stated that Michael’s remarks had been taken out of context.

What do you think, HollywoodLifers? Are you upset that Michael lied about his cancer, or can you see where he was coming from? Let us know!

Michael Douglas helps Montreal hospital that detected his cancer

As a thank you, the 66-year-old actor, who owns a vacation home in the Mont-Tremblant area, personally offered his star power to the hospital.

MARIO ANZUONI / REUTERS 

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones arrive at the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011. 

By: Andy Blatchford The Canadian Press, Published on Mon Apr 18 2011

MONTREAL—Michael Douglas’s battle with throat cancer began in Canada — and now the Oscar-winning actor is giving back to the Montreal hospital that detected a disease others had missed.

An appreciative Douglas, star of Hollywood films such as “Basic Instinct” and “Wall Street,” volunteered to headline a posh fundraiser next month for McGill University’s head and neck cancer fund.

Last year, Douglas underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments in the United States for a walnut-sized tumour he now says is gone.

But the cancer diagnosis first came from the McGill-affiliated Jewish General Hospital — only weeks after several physicians elsewhere had given him a clean bill of health.

As a thank you, the 66-year-old actor, who owns a vacation home north of Montreal in the Mont-Tremblant area, personally offered his star power to the hospital.

Douglas’s publicist confirmed Monday the Montreal hospital discovered the cancer first.

“That’s where he found out he had his cancer,” Allen Burry said of the Jewish General Hospital in a phone interview.

“He was happy to do it (the fundraiser).”

Organizers of the $375-a-head gala on May 3 have pencilled Douglas in as the honoured invitee, meaning he will mingle with ticket holders, sign autographs and say a few words to the guests.

Those hoping for more face time with Douglas can buy a $750 VIP ticket, giving them access to his pre-event cocktail.

“It was his very gracious offer to help us in view of his own battle with throat cancer,” said Dr. Saul Frenkiel, a co-chair of the fundraiser who was personally contacted by Douglas.

“We’re hoping as the evening unfolds that it will be a big year (for the event) ... there’s a buzz.”

Douglas and his actress wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, have even put themselves up for auction. The biggest item on the live auction list is a golf outing at Mont-Tremblant with the Hollywood power couple.

The annual event has featured celebrities in the past, including Montreal Canadiens legend Jean Beliveau and Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut.

But Frenkiel is pretty sure Douglas is the most prominent drawing card in the event’s 17 years.

“Certainly, Michael Douglas ... helps to bring to the attention of the public the need to do important research in the head and neck cancer field,” said Frenkiel, a head and neck surgeon, or otolaryngologist.

He underlined the importance of the charity because some head and neck cancers are on the rise, including thyroid cancers and throat cancers caused by the human papillomavirus.

The money raised will fund research and improvements to direct patient care. Last year’s event brought in around $1.5 million, said Frenkiel, who hopes to break the $1 million mark again.

“We were very appreciative of his kind support — it was a gracious personal offer and certainly reflected his own inner personality and willingness to help battle head and neck cancer,” he said of Douglas.

Shortly after announcing last August that he had been diagnosed with cancer, Douglas told David Letterman that he had his persistently sore throat checked out earlier in the summer.

“I actually went through a litany of doctors and tests — they didn’t find anything,” Douglas said during an appearance on Letterman’s “Late Show.”

Douglas, who will begin shooting the film “Liberace” this spring, announced in January that his tumour was gone and that he had regained 12 of the 32 pounds he had lost during treatment.

“He’s doing well, he’s doing extremely well,” Burry said.

Michael Douglas Says He's More in Love with Catherine Zeta-Jones Than Ever After 'Little Bump in the Road'

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

By Lindsay Kimble

@lekimble

06/28/2015 AT 12:15 PM EDT

Michael Douglas says despite a public split from wife Catherine Zeta-Jones in 2013, the couple is doing better than ever and are enjoying raising their two children together.

The Ant-Man star, 70, opened up about his relationship with the actress, 45, as well as life post-Cancer, for an interview with The Daily Mail.

The actor, who married Zeta-Jones in 2000, made headlines in 2013 when he alluded to oral sex as a risk factor for the type of cancer he had, later clarifying that he was making a general statement rather than speaking of his own illness.

The couple separated shortly after, although Douglas tells The Daily Mail the comments weren't the cause.

Keep up with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.

"I was trying to make a public service comment," he says, later adding, "It was one of those things... and I so regretted any embarrassment that it caused Catherine. And her family."

Rather, the stress of Douglas's tongue cancer strained the pair's relationship, the actor says.

"We had a little bump in the road," he explains. "The problem in this business is that everything is so public."

The star, who was misdiagnosed three times, says his prognosis initially seemed bleak and his health rapidly deteriorated.

"I was Stage 4 and I'd seen a lot of other people that I know go," he tells the British newspaper. "It was pretty bad... but it got better. Then it even got good."

Zeta-Jones, who suffers from bipolar II disorder previously admitted to being "a mess" after his 2010 diagnosis. The actor was finally declared cancer free in January 2011, but the stress of his treatment left a mark on the pair's relationship.

Celebrate Michael Douglas's 70th with These Memorable Movie Moments

"We worked things out – if both people want to work something out and make it better, you can do it," he tells the website of their 2014 reconciliation. "You can't do it if it's just one person."

Zeta-Jones and Douglas, who will celebrate their 15th anniversary in December, share two children together, Dylan, 14, and Carys, 12.

"I love Catherine as much, more than I ever have," he says. "And hopefully the feeling's mutual."

The two-time Oscar winner also talked bout his son Cameron, 36, with ex-wife Diandra Luker. Cameron has been imprisoned since 2010 on drug dealing charges. His initial 5-year sentence was extended until at least 2018 due to drug infractions while in jail.

"I visit him and he's holding up, for a guy who really got screwed," he says, adding, "Reverse celebrity, making an example, it's been a nightmare. He's been in much longer than he should be, but hopefully it will come to an end soon."

The Wall Street star, who keeps active with his younger children, says Cameron's imprisonment has been "very hard" to deal with.

"It has been an education and I look forward to jumping into this issue once I can get him out," he says.

Michael Douglas helps Jewish General

American actor to star at Montreal hospital's cancer fundraiser as token of gratitude for detecting tumor others had missed

Sarah Bauder

Published:  04.26.11, 07:50 / Israel Activism

As a token of gratitude to the McGill University-affiliated Jewish General Hospital that first detected the cancerous tumor others had missed, Michael Douglas will headline for McGill University's annual Head and Neck Cancer Fundraiser on May 3.

Physicians at Jewish General found a walnut-sized malignant tumor in Douglas’ throat, mere weeks after American physicians had proclaimed him healthy.

After undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments in the United States, the 66-year-old actor says he is cancer-free.

As a show of appreciation, Douglas will mingle with guests at the $375 plate-per-person dinner in Le Windsor in downtown Montreal. For those willing to dig a bit deeper, a $750 VIP ticket allows more face time with the actor at a private cocktail party.

"We were very appreciative of his kind support; it was a gracious personal offer and certainly reflected his own inner personality and willingness to help battle head and neck cancer," stated Dr. Saul Frenkiel, co-chair of the annual fundraiser, and a head and neck surgeon, or otolaryngologist.

"Certainly, Michael Douglas helps to bring to the attention of the public the need to do important research in the head and neck cancer field," Frenkiel went on the say.

To further sweeten the deal, Douglas has offered a round of golf with himself and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones near their vacation home in the Mont-Tremblant region as one of the fundraiser’s auction items.

Douglas won an Academy Award for his performance in "Wall Street" in 1987. He will begin shooting "Liberace" later this spring.