Catherine Zeta-Jones:
“I have amazing highs and very low lows – the goal is to be in the middle”
ITV’s remake of The Darling Buds of May – with Bridgerton star Sabrina Bartlett as Mariette – has begun filming. The role catapulted Welsh beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones to stardom 28 years ago. Catherine, now 51, has since gone on to amass a reported £108m fortune, and lives in Hollywood with her movie-star husband Michael Douglas, 76, and their children, Dylan, 20, and Carys, 17. This is what she’s learned along the way...
‘BE AMBITIOUS – NOT HUMBLE’
She grew up in a working-class family in Swansea, Wales, and Catherine has spoken about “the snobbery of the whole actor thing”. However, she says she had the selfbelief to succeed as an actress. “I wasn’t at Oxford or RADA, but I knew I could do it. It’s plain old ambition, which we’re not allowed to talk about as women. Maybe in America you can get away with it more, but in Britain we don’t say we’re ambitious. ‘Oh, I won an Oscar, I don’t know why.’ I’m sick of being humble. I really am. ‘So sorry I’m rich, so sorry I’m married to a movie star, so sorry I’m not so bad looking.’ No sorrys. Enough!”
‘BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING’
Catherine’s first break was at 17 when she was in the chorus of London West End musical 42nd Street. She says, “I was a second understudy. By some fluke [two months in], the lead was off and the first understudy was off. I got on, and David Merrick, the big Broadway producer, was in London checking on his show and saw me go on. I took over the lead for two years, and the only reason why is that I was completely prepared. My father used to say, ‘Just be prepared for anything.’ I have that inherently in me, and I say it to my kids. If Willy
Wonka’s golden ticket is put in your hand, you’d better be ready to use it! No excuses.”
‘TALK TO PEOPLE THROUGH BAD TIMES’
In 2010, Michael was diagnosed with tongue cancer, claiming a few years later it was “oral sex” which led to the disease – and his statement was reportedly a reason for his and Catherine’s temporary split. Reflecting on his illness, she said, “I was a mess. When I’m married to a man who has such a conviction for life, he fights to make the wrongs right. For the first time he was fighting for his life. I didn’t talk to other people about it enough. That’s one thing I would do more of. Our children asking, ‘Is Daddy going to die?’ was really hard. It was an experience that I am so happy is in our rear-view mirror.”
‘LAUGHTER IS KEY IN A RELATIONSHIP’
Critics thought their relationship wouldn’t last due to the 25-year age gap, but Catherine and Michael proved their doubters wrong and, despite briefly splitting in 2016, the pair reunited and have now been together for 20 years. Catherine says laughter sees the couple through tricky times. “We have a lot of fun together. My husband is 25 years older than me; that’s not a secret. With any relationship, it wouldn’t be normal if there weren’t any ups and downs. The constant is love and respect. We’ve never, ever lost our sense of humour, and we enjoy each other’s company.”
‘MOTIVATE YOURSELF TO EXERCISE’
She oozes Hollywood glamour but unlike most LA stars, Catherine doesn’t have a personal trainer. The star says, “I don’t have a trainer. Crazy, right? But I don’t need anyone to motivate me, I do that myself. I love exercise, even things like the elliptical and stretching. I’m obsessed with hula-hooping. I do it for 20 minutes a day. Also I swear by water, maintaining my PH balance, no alcohol and keeping my body free of any inflammation, inside and out.”
‘LET YOUR CHILDREN FIND THEIR OWN WAY’
It’s unsurprising that children born into the Douglas/Zeta-Jones dynasty set their sights on becoming actors. However, Catherine was reluctant when her children, Dylan and Carys, first expressed an interest. “Let your children find their own way. Michael and I would be the first to say, ‘Maybe we should think about being a lawyer or something else’? But it’s in their belly. They really got it and what I love about it so much is that they love the craft. We’ve seen every production they’ve ever been in and actually Dylan at college has done two student films and acting is a real passion.”
‘REMOVE STIGMA ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH’
In 2011, the actress revealed she had bipolar II disorder, which usually involves bouts of severe depression and extreme highs. “I’m not the kind of person who likes to shout out my personal issues from the rooftops, but with my bipolar becoming public, I have. I hope fellow sufferers will know it is completely controllable, and I hope I can help remove any stigma attached to it. The fact that there was a name for my emotions and that a professional could talk me through my symptoms was very liberating. There are amazing highs and very low lows. My goal is to be consistently in the middle.”
‘Michael and I have never lost our sense of humour’