Catherine Zeta-Jones Gave Michael Douglas an Ultimatum Early in Their Relationship

Michael Douglas revealed that Catherine Zeta-Jones presented him with a non-negotiable condition at the beginning of their relationship: he had to stop dating other women.

"When I courted Catherine, she told me, ‘If we are doing this, you need to clean your act up,'" Douglas recounted on a recent episode of “The Graham Norton Show.” He explained that at the time he met Zeta-Jones in 1998, he was recently divorced from his first wife and was “seeing some other people.”

Douglas, 57, admitted that he was surprised by the number of romantic partners he was involved with concurrently before he began pursuing Zeta-Jones. In his memoir, “One Helluva Ride,” he wrote that after his separation from Diandra Luker in 1995, he was involved in non-monogamous relationships with five women across different cities.

Upon meeting Zeta-Jones, however, the actress made it clear that their relationship would only proceed if it was exclusive. Douglas recounted in his book that he subsequently contacted each of the five women to inform them he was no longer available for romantic involvement.

Douglas and Zeta-Jones married in 2000 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. They have two children together, Dylan, 26, and Carys, 23, both of whom have pursued acting careers. Douglas also has a son, Cameron, 47, from his first marriage.

In 2013, the couple experienced a brief separation following Douglas's battle with tongue cancer and Zeta-Jones's treatment for bipolar disorder. However, Douglas stated in his memoir that he maintained hope for their reconciliation, writing, “I love Catherine in a way that I have never loved any other woman. She’s my wife, my best friend, and my life partner. I could never lose her.”

While Douglas confirmed Zeta-Jones was reading his memoir, she playfully commented on “Today” that she had not yet finished it due to fatigue at the end of the day.