Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas mark 25 years of marriage

The couple known for their long union navigate public skepticism about their age gap while balancing careers and family life.

Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas mark 25 years of marriage

The Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones, 55, and Hollywood icon Michael Douglas, 80, are approaching a 25th wedding anniversary after tying the knot in New York in 2000. The pair have faced public doubt about their 25 year age difference, yet they describe their marriage as built on love and fun as they prepare to mark the milestone. Catherine says the celebration will be timed with the holidays because she is filming Netflixs Wednesday and cannot take the exact day off.

Away from the spotlight, the couple have raised two children, Dylan and Carys, and have guided a family life that mixes glitzy public appearances with low key holidays. They have spoken about ups and downs, including a 2013 separation during a difficult period for Douglas and Catherine, and a reconciliation in 2014. The story also touches on their wealth and how they balance demanding careers with time at home, including UK staycations and trips with the children.

The anniversary narrative offers a chance to reframe what long-lasting marriage looks like in Hollywood, where public scrutiny often singles out age as a talking point. The couple’s openness about rough patches, health challenges, and personal growth challenges the trope of fame as a constant fairy tale. It also highlights how celebrities manage private life with a global audience, choosing family time, even when work schedules push against it.

Yet the piece also exposes a tension between admiration for resilience and fascination with wealth and status. Reporting on a £250 million combined fortune and luxury trips risks turning a personal milestone into a financial or lifestyle spectacle. Still, the couple’s emphasis on partnership and shared responsibility offers a quiet counterpoint to louder celebrity narratives and may inspire readers to value steadiness over sensationalism.

Highlights

A long marriage is more than a headline; it is a practice of choosing each other every day.