Michael Douglas Biggest Regret: "I wish I'd divorced my first wife sooner"

**dougie** · August 8th, 2013, 05:53 PM

From mirror.co.uk

Michael Douglas on his biggest regret: "I wish I'd divorced my first wife sooner"
By Melissa Thompson
8 Aug 2013 00:01

The actor, who is now married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, has opened up about his regrets

From Oscars to booze addiction, Michael Douglas has had one of the most colourful lives in Hollywood.

In his 45-year career, the millionaire, married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, has battled throat cancer and has even seen his son jailed for drug offences.

But now, at 68, he is taking a long look back over his life.

Surprisingly, there is only one regret – he wishes he had divorced first wife, Diandra, sooner.

He says: “I know I’m going to get into trouble here. I have nothing against her and in fact I’m very fond of my first wife. But we should have ended that marriage eight or 10 years earlier.

“It took me too long to realise that if you go to a marriage counsellor to resolve problems, it’s in his interest to keep the marriage going.

“Because if I end the marriage he’s got no business. I think Diandra would probably say the same thing. That’s the only clear regret that I have.”

The couple married in March 1977, separated in 1995 and finally divorced in 2000.

After they separated, Michael’s adventures with women and alcohol became the talk of Hollywood.

He went to rehab in the 1990s for what he said was an alcohol problem, but was widely reported to be sex addiction.

It seemed years of partying may have taken their toll when he was told he had stage-four throat cancer in August 2010, a diagnosis that is usually terminal.

Asked if he regretted the drinking and smoking that could have caused it, he said no – because it was from years of performing oral sex on women instead.

But against the odds, determined Michael defied doctors to pull through and has been clear for two years.

He made a spectacular return to the screen, including playing Liberace in Behind the Candelabra, a performance widely tipped to win him awards.

Michael still has check-ups every six months to ensure the cancer has not returned and wife Catherine, 43, has been by his side throughout his illness.

They got hitched in November 2000, signing a prenup after Michael’s divorce from Diandra cost him a rumoured £30million.

Catherine, who starred in Chicago and Ocean’s Twelve, also has her own battle – she recently had treatment in rehab for bipolar disorder.

And after all they have been through, Michael admits that true love takes work.

Speaking at a hotel in New York, he says: “Love is an extraordinary feeling that comes from the bottom of your soul, but has to be nurtured, you know.

“The thing I’ve learned about getting older is you can’t take love for granted. You protect it, nurture it and it grows and after one’s initial, physical emotional aspects, it becomes deeper.”

Michael, who has children Dylan, 12, and Carys, 10, with Catherine, as well as jailed son Cameron with Diandra, continues: “Happiness is moments.

"I don’t think anyone walks around happy all the time unless they’re completely *medicated. Happiness is cherishing good moments and trying to link together more good moments than bad.”
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But it is Cameron’s drug problems that have dogged Michael. The 34-year-old is serving a nine-and-a-half year term for drug offences.

In a letter to the court in 2010, Michael blamed “genes, family and peer *pressure” for contributing to his son’s problems and painted his substance abuse as the product, in part, of a privileged but difficult childhood and the long shadow cast by a family of screen icons.

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Despite being worth millions, and having a wife who loves shopping, Michael also reveals he is still thrifty when it comes to choosing his outfits – taking them from his film sets.

He says: “People tease me because my wardrobe is usually my wardrobe from movies.

"What I do is, when I go in for a costume fitting and I see a couple of things they’re not going to use, I say, ‘I’ll take that’, ‘I’ll take that’.

“So I don’t go shopping. I’ve got clothes from all my movies. Catherine isn’t happy about it and tries to get things for me from time to time but I’m not a person who wants objects.”

Laughing, he adds: “I guess I love land. Some people would pay a fortune for a painting but I love beautiful environments and views.

"I love to travel, it’s my luxury – travelling as first class as I can to interesting, exotic places.

Full article and more pictures on mirror.co.uk:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrit...-luker-2138722

**Annika** · August 8th, 2013, 06:39 PM

i loved that liberace movie!

the weird thing about michael douglas is he was the 'leading man' in all these movies in the late eighties early nineties, then boom he shows up one day looking like an old geezer. when did he transform?

**Charmed Hour** · August 8th, 2013, 06:44 PM

"I should have divorced her years earlier, before I made millions and millions and she took me to the cleaners".

**KrisNine** · August 8th, 2013, 06:58 PM

I get what he's saying. I know so many people who stay together for years thinking it's going to work out or get better.

**WhateverLolaWants** · August 8th, 2013, 07:22 PM

My mom broke down when I was 17 and told me she was just staying with my dad for my sake and I basically said, "For fuck's sake, LEAVE HIM RIGHT NAO." I love my Dad, but he drives me nuts and I can't imagine how she stayed married to him for 26 years. I think she was probably looking for permission and figured I was old enough to give it.

**sputnik** · August 8th, 2013, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by KrisNine

I get what he's saying. I know so many people who stay together for years thinking it's going to work out or get better.

this. i can think of a lot of couples who just seem to be prolonging the inevitable, and would be much better off apart. i think sometimes relationships and marriages become like old habits and people get comfortable in their unhappiness and it just becomes what they know. especially if they have kids.

**KrisNine** · August 8th, 2013, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by sputnik

this. i can think of a lot of couples who just seem to be prolonging the inevitable, and would be much better off apart. i think sometimes relationships and marriages become like old habits and people get comfortable in their unhappiness and it just becomes what they know. especially if they have kids.

Our good friends are like that. They've been together for close to 20 years, they were the first serious relationship either of them had, they've gone through some scary health issues, losing parents, losing pregnancies, etc. They have two kids and a great house, but I think they're together just for those reasons. They care about each other, but the marriage seems bad.

**llamamama** · August 8th, 2013, 10:17 PM

I missed the "first" wife part and was hoping he was talking about Catherine! Let down.

**tulip** · August 9th, 2013, 04:02 AM

Sorry for going OT here -- but what has happened to CZJ's face? She used to be so beautiful. Now when I look at her, she seems puffy, but not really, maybe just the cheeks? and I really notice her nose. I saw her in Side Effects and her nose was driving me insane -- it's all I saw.

Back on topic -- sort of -- hearing this old geezer talk about getting throat cancer from oral sex really skeeves me out. I hear it, picture old Michael -- and ewww.

**rollo** · August 9th, 2013, 04:03 AM

^ I think he is doing damage limitation as there are rumours about a divorce with her as well @ llama mama.

Cameron is trying to recover (presumably) and all he hears about from his father is bad stuff about his childhood. Michael always puts foot in mouth for the sake of a story.

ETA: CZJ's happy hours are affecting her looks.

**aabbcc** · August 9th, 2013, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by tulip

I saw her in Side Effects and her nose was driving me insane -- it's all I saw.

I felt the same way about Glenn Close's hair in Fatal Attraction.

**Mel1973** · August 9th, 2013, 09:31 AM

I don't see anything wrong with him saying this at all. He was a part of the marriage and in the end, I think they were both miserable. Seems like they get along now but it might've ended on a more pleasant note had they divorced sooner.

**gas_chick** · August 9th, 2013, 11:15 AM

The longer you stay in a bad marriage the more you tend to resent or even hate the other person no matter your own faults.

**soogar** · August 10th, 2013, 06:41 PM

I wish he would just STFU about Diandra. They have been divorced for 13 years and all this asshole does is trash her and blame her for Cameron's problems. He's moved on with another wife. Why does he feel the need to constantly bring Diandra up, especially since Diandra hasn't said a whole lot to the press.

**penname** · August 11th, 2013, 05:34 AM

She doesn't speak directly to the press, she just launches another lawsuit. Didn't she recently go after him (again) for more money? As you say, it's been 13 years, and he left her an extremely wealthy woman.

Either way, there's no doubt been a lot of anger between them and the money is currency rather than the issue. They probably both blame each other for Cameron's problems, and maybe that's what Michael was obliquely referring to - that if he'd left sooner, the effects on their son wouldn't have been so toxic and destructive.