Catherine Zeta-Jones' strict rules for Michael Douglas who was dating 5 women when they met

Catherine Zeta-Jones' strict rules for Michael Douglas who was dating 5 women when they met In his new memoir, Michael Douglas admits he was 'crazy' about Catherine Zeta-Jones from the moment he saw her on a cinema screen. But she made him wait for romance and also insisted he ditched other lovers and took their relationship seriously from the start. Michael Douglas has insisted he didn’t feel like he “slept with so many women” in his life. But in his new memoir he reveals he spent nine long months trying to persuade Catherine Zeta-Jones to be his girlfriend, he admits that when she finally agreed, he had to tell five other women their time with him in the bedroom was over. The Hollywood superstar, 82, known for starring in films such as Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Falling Down and Behind the Candelabra, has written a no holds barred book about his time on the big screen and his incredibly adventurous life off it. But much of his wild partying and womanising ways all happened before he became smitten by a Welsh actress called Catherine. And he admits he fell in love the moment he clapped eyes on her, even though it was on a small movie screen. To see more of the stories you love from The Mirror and to find them easily in Google, make us your preferred source. Free and easy to do, just click on the link here to find more from The Mirror at the top of your feed. Actor Michael was at a friend's house watching an advance screening of the 1998 movie The Mask of Zorro when he first saw Catherine and said out loud, “Wow, who is this girl? She’s incredible.” He continued to praise her acting skills and beauty even after the credits rolled. And that might have been that with the 25-year age gap between them, had he not read an interview days later where she mentioned she liked older men. “I said to myself, Hey, I’ve got a shot!” He writes. Douglas was off to Deauville American Film Festival in August 1998, to promote his own latest project A Perfect Murder, and managed to get his agent to find out if Catherine would be there with Zorro. Sure enough, their schedules collided, and he was able to arrange a drink with her. The pair ended up drinking with Melanie Griffith, whom Michael knew, and her husband, Antonio Banderas, the other star of The Mask of Zorro. Michael says he was “enchanted” by Catherine and learned she was a big name in Britain already thanks to TV show The Darling Buds of May. They went to dinner as a foursome, and then Michael left the trio to head to the Zorro premiere. By his own admission, he then “got smashed” at the hotel bar, only for Catherine to re-appear a couple of hours later. They had a drink, just the two of them, and Michael held himself together until they went to say goodnight by the elevator. As is now well known, fuelled by Dutch courage, he blurted out: “I’m going to be the father of your children.” But rather than being impressed or charmed, Catherine replied: “You know, I’ve seen a lot about you, read a lot about you, and heard a lot about you. And I guess it’s all true. I think it’s time I say good night.” Michael insists in the book that it wasn’t a “cheap pick up line” but instead was what he felt in his heart after time in her company, describing her as “magic”. Looking back, he adds: "If I had had a little less to drink that night, I would have said it a little more eloquently.” But there was no way to turn back the clock and so Michael tried to pile on the charm. Overnight he bought the biggest bouquet of flowers he could get and arranged for them to be transported to Catherine’s hotel room when she landed in Scotland the next day to begin work on the film Entrapment with Sean Connery. The note with them read: “I hope I didn’t scare you too much, but it was wonderful meeting you.” Catherine wasn’t completely won over and she kept Michael on her toes, only choosing to call him a few weeks later on September 25 - the day they share a birthday - to wish him many happy returns and also admit he had been on her mind. Over the next few months the pair would occasionally have dinner in New York or Los Angeles where they were living. But Catherine would often head home early and always get her brother or her dad to come pick her up, despite Michael trying to persuade her to stay for drinks. Finally realising who was in control, Michael writes: “It finally dawned on me. She wanted to take it slow.” He goes to say there was “nothing physical” between them for nine months. But slowly but surely things became more serious. After going to watch a boxing match Catherine sent him a note that said ‘you had me at round one’. But Catherine took things slowly as she didn’t want to “become just an ex-girlfriend” on the list. One weekend in June 1999 Catherine agreed to go out and visit Michael at his Spanish second home for the weekend in Mallorca. In reality she didn’t leave his side for some time. But it was at this point, again taking control, Catherine said she would only be his girlfriend if the relationship was monogamous. In book he recalls Catherine said: “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.” In response, Michale said: “Wait here, I have to make five quick calls.” Catherine was shocked he had to make five calls, but he did and a lifelong love affair began. Explaining what happened, Michael writes: “Just after my marriage, 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 nonmonogamous. None of them asked for commitment.” The relationship between Michael and Catherine blossomed, aside from a short hitch when Michael left the engagement ring in a Welsh hotel where is was found by a chamber maid, everything went to plan. They married at a lavish ceremony in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel in New York at a reputed cost of £1.2million. And they went on to have two children two children; Dylan, 26, and daughter, Carys, 23. As youngsters, the kids were brought up in Bermuda during an idyllic time when the couple took turns with projects on screen. But there were problems many years later in the marriage though when the pair briefly separated in 2013. Michael recalls: “We had just gone through a period where a number of challenges came at us all at once. We decided to take some time apart. We still loved each other immensely, but we needed to make sure that being married was the right thing for all of us.” Promoting the book he has denied “winning her back” saying all the decisions were mutual. But he clearly wanted them to stay together long term and writes: “From the second we separated, I never gave up hope that we would reconcile. 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. As Catherine and I were seeing each other more surrounding the kids—school functions, drop-offs, extracurricular activities—we realized we both missed each other enormously. “Taking time away helped reignite the spark that had brought us together. Catherine and I reconciled the following year. Thank God we found our way back to each other. Our marriage deserved a second chance.” Catherine has recently spoken about the relationship herself whilst promoting new Prime Video drama Kill Jackie She said one of the keys to their happy relationship was her keeping busy with work. She said: “Michael is, like, ‘Do that job, that’s amazing.’ Then he’s able to fly in and see me. Much better than waking up, going, ‘What do you want for breakfast, honey?’ I don’t think our marriage would ever have lasted if it was like that." In an interview with the Sunday Times, Michael said at the weekend: "Marriage is a lot of work, you know. And so, you know, we're good. We're in good shape. It's all I can say." At the end of the book, Michael says things on similar lines, and just like when he saw her on screen in Mask of Zorro, he sounds as besotted as ever. He writes: “Today, our marriage is stronger than ever and we recently celebrated our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. We still love spending time together. We can play eighteen holes or walk on the beach or we can just sit on the couch all day long talking. “After all these years, wherever we are in the world, Catherine Zeta-Jones is still an incredible date.” * One Helluva Ride by Michael Douglas is out now, published by Headline. Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .