Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are one of Hollywood’s longest-standing couples, but, like anyone else, the pair has experienced their fair share of ups and downs — including a brief split, otherwise called a “break” by some. And Michael’s 2026 memoir, One Helluva Ride, provides insight into the Fatal Attraction star’s past affairs before he fell in love with the Academy Award-winning actress.
In one section of his book, Michael recalls the moment Catherine told him her standards: she wouldn’t date him if he kept seeing other women. In fact, he was seeing five others, the actor noted in his memoir.
“She told me she understood that I was a single guy who’d come out of a long marriage, but she would only be monogamous,” Michael says in one excerpt. “‘I’m not interested in dating you if you’re dating other people. You can either continue with them or end it and be with me.’ … I told her wait here, I have to make five quick calls. ‘Five? You have to make five calls?’”
Michael continues, “Just after my marriage [to ex-wife Diandra Luker], I had been seeing five other women. They knew I was recently separated and in the process of getting a divorce. I made sure they all lived in different cities, which felt like a respectful way to be non-monogamous. That day, I called each one to say I met somebody and would no longer be able to continue seeing them. They all took it well.”
But somewhere along the way of Michael and Catherine’s love, they took some time apart. Below, News47.us unpacks Michael and Catherine’s years-long relationship and their brief split.
Catherine and Michael reportedly separated sometime in 2013. They seemingly reconciled by 2014.
According to the Wall Street actor, he and the Mask of Zorro actress took some time away from each other because they “had [their] problems,” which he noted during an interview with The Sunday Times when he was asked how he “won her back.”
