Catherine Zeta-Jones gave Michael Douglas a stark choice when their romance began: if he wanted to be with her, he had to be monogamous. Douglas responded by ending five other romantic relationships, recalling in his new memoir how he made five phone calls after Zeta-Jones told him she would not date him while he was seeing other women.
The extraordinary account appears in Douglas' memoir, One Helluva Ride, in which he reflects on the early days of his relationship with the actress and the decision that ultimately set the terms of their romance.
Zeta-Jones Set Her Terms
Douglas and Zeta-Jones first met at the Deauville American Film Festival in France in 1998, after Douglas had become interested in the actress following her performance in The Mask of Zorro. Their courtship began after the meeting, while Douglas was still separated from his first wife, Diandra Luker. Douglas had separated from Luker in 1995, with their divorce finalised in 2000.
When he met Zeta-Jones, Douglas said he was also seeing five other women. He stressed in his account that the women knew he was separated and going through a divorce, and that none had asked him for exclusivity. 'I made sure they all lived in different cities, which felt like a respectful way to be non-monogamous,' Douglas wrote.
But Zeta-Jones made clear that she wanted a different arrangement. She told Douglas she was not interested in dating him if he continued seeing other women and gave him a choice between maintaining those relationships or ending them and being with her. Douglas says he decided to make the change immediately.
Five Calls and a Monogamous Future
According to Douglas, he told Zeta-Jones to wait while he made 'five quick calls'. She was reportedly surprised that there were five people he needed to contact. Douglas said he called each of the women that day and told them he had met somebody and could no longer continue seeing them.
He recalled that they all took the news well. The decision allowed Douglas and Zeta-Jones to pursue their relationship exclusively. Their courtship lasted around nine months, much of it long distance, before they became engaged in 1999.
They married on 18 November 2000 at the Plaza Hotel in New York and went on to have two children, Dylan and Carys. More than 25 years after their marriage, the couple remain together. They briefly separated in 2013 before reconciling, and Douglas has continued to speak affectionately about Zeta-Jones and their long marriage.
His memoir account offers a revealing glimpse into the beginning of their relationship, when Zeta-Jones made clear that she would not accept being one of several women in his life. Douglas was given a choice and, by his own account, answered it with five phone calls.
The decision also illustrates how differently the two approached the beginning of their relationship. While Douglas had been comfortable with a non-monogamous arrangement at the time, Zeta-Jones was clear that exclusivity was essential if they were going to continue dating.
Rather than attempting to persuade her to accept his existing circumstances, Douglas says he acted on her terms and ended those five relationships.
