Hollywood film legends Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have blossomed not only in their on-screen careers but also in their long-term relationship.
The Welsh actress has starred in the likes of The Mask of Zorro (1998), Chicago (2002) and Ocean's Twelve (2004), whereas American actor Michael has starred in The War of the Roses (1989), Basic Instinct (1992) and Disclosure (1994).
Now, Catherine is set to return to our screens for upcoming series Wednesday, a new Netflix show by director Tim Burton based on the daughter of The Addams Family.
The Chicago actress will play Morticia Addams in the new series, alongside Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams.
Ahead of the release of Wednesday, take a look at Catherine and Michael's relationship as the power couple of Hollywood.
How did Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas meet?
The actors first met in 1998 at the Deauville Film Festival in France.
They were introduced by mutual friends Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith.
Catherine told Larry King in 2001: ”I had been told Michael Douglas wanted to meet me.
“I was a little nervous because I didn’t quite know what he wanted to meet me about.”
It was instantly love at first sight for American actor Michael, with him telling The Jonathon Ross Show in 2016:
"I said to her after about half an hour [of hanging out], ‘You know, I’m going to be the father of your children'.
“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.'”
In order to correct their awkward first encounter, Michael sent Catherine a bouquet of flowers as an apology and the rest is history.
What is their age difference?
There is a 25 year age gap between Michael and Catherine.
Although Catherine's parents are the same age as Michael, they “never even questioned that there was a 25-year age difference” she said, according to E! News.
The couple also share a joint birthday, with Michael born on September 25, 1944 and Catherine born on September 25, 1969.
When did the pair tie the knot?
Michael proposed to the actress in December 1999 at his home in Aspen, France, on New Year's Eve.
The couple wed a year later in a lavish ceremony at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
The nuptials commenced following the Disclosure actor's divorce from film producer Diandra Luker, which was finalised earlier that year.
The couple's wedding, which reportedly cost $1.5million (£1.24m) was attended by famous faces including Jennifer Aniston, Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Hanks.
Why did the couple end up in court after their wedding day?
Following the romantic nuptials, the couple were involved in a High Court case over their wedding images.
OK! magazine signed a £1million deal for the exclusive rights to the wedding day images.
However, Hello! magazine published undercover photos from their big day - sparking a legal battled that saw the Welsh actress giving evidence in court.
The couple went on to win their legal battle, with judge Justice Lindsay stating that the Hollywood couple and OK! had won their case against Hello! "under the law of confidence, as well as data protection".
Mr Justice Lindsay also said Hello! was liable in damages to the couple and OK!.
The magazine was awarded £1,033,156 in damages, while the couple received £14,600.
Do the couple have children together?
In November 1999, the Mask of Zorro actress announced that she was expecting her first child with Michael.
Dylan Michael Douglas was born on August 8, 2000 in Los Angeles, California.
On April 20, 2003, Catherine and Michael welcomed daughter Carys Zeta Douglas to complete their brood.
Michael Douglas' cancer diagnosis
The Hollywood actor was diagnosed with stage IV squamous cell carcinoma oral cancer (throat cancer) in August 2010.
He told The Guardian in 2013: “Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus."
In January 2011, the actor was given the all-clear after a stretch of chemotherapy.
Michael and Catherine split after 13 years of marriage
The couple split up after 13 years of marriage in August 2013 following Michael's battle with cancer and Catherine's bipolar disorder diagnosis.
A source told Us Weekly at the time that the couple were “taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage”.
The pair rekindled their relationship eight months later, with Michael telling The Ellen DeGeneres show in 2015 that a relationship can work "if both of you are willing".
He added: "It can’t be a one-way street, but I’m crazy about her and yeah I think every couple has their difficult times."
Sexual assault allegations
The couple faced another relationship test in 2017 after Michael was accused of sexual assault by a former employee.
The actor denied the allegations, telling Deadline that it was “a complete lie, fabrication, no truth to it whatsoever".
Catherine also addressed the claim, stating in an interview with The Times : “My children and I were profoundly devastated by those allegations.
“And I was torn about where my absolute morals lie.”
No legal action was ever taken against Michael.
Where are the couple now?
Catherine and Michael are still going strong and regularly post cute images of themselves on Instagram.
In November 2021, the couple celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary.
In a social media post, Catherine gushed: "Happy Anniversary Michael. For 21 years you have had my back! For over 21 years we have had our love. Love you sweetheart."
In a response to his wife's sweet social media post, Michael shared a video online as a tribute to his other half.
The 77-year-old captioned the video: "Happy anniversary my darling Catherine! I love you so much."
The cute video montage included never-before-seen candid snaps of the couple golfing and skiing, and it was set to American Authors' 2014 song, Best Day of My Life.
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