Tragic Details About Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones appeared to enjoy something of an idyllic childhood in Swansea, Wales, free from the kind of tragedy and trauma that usually dominates the Hollywood star memoir. She's often spoken about how strongly her candy factory owner father, David Jones, and seamstress mother, Patricia Jones, supported her acting, singing, and dancing ambitions, per Hello! magazine, and how much they sacrificed to ensure she got the best education possible. And even though she's now an A-list, Oscar-winning superstar, Zeta-Jones will still often revisit her humble beginnings with her own family in tow.

However, the proud Welsh native's adult life has been beset by various problems, ranging from mental health issues and relationship woes to court cases. As a result, Zeta-Jones has barely been out of the tabloids since she first shot to global fame in 1998's The Mask of Zorro. With the acclaimed Hollywood actress, Tony Award-winning performer, and even short-lived pop star now in her early 50s, here's a look back at the times Catherine Zeta-Jones' private life courted press attention for all the wrong reasons.

Catherine Zeta-Jones' love life first became a source of fascination for the British press in 1991, when she began dating John Leslie, a presenter on the BBC's long-running children's magazine show, Blue Peter. Unfortunately for The Darling Buds of May star, their love story didn't get a happy ending.

After 18 months together, the golden couple split amidst reports that Leslie was afraid of commitment. In 2000, the TV host was asked by Hello! magazine whether he believed he'd been the heartbreaker as reported. He replied, "You'd have to ask her if I broke her heart, but I always draw a line at talking about things like that. When two people are personally involved I think it should never be discussed. I truly believe that trust between two people is sacred."

Neither Leslie or Zeta-Jones have ever discussed what caused their split. But in 2003, Leslie once again opened up about how much the Chicago star meant to him, telling the Daily Express (via the Daily Mail), "It was the real thing alright. I was in love with her and she was in love with me, no question. She was lovely, we were together for 18 months, but in the end it didn't work out." Leslie also described Zeta-Jones as his "one true love," but denied allegations that they'd gone their separate ways over the issue of marriage and children.

The tabloid media's apparent obsession with Catherine Zeta-Jones' private life reached new heights — or lows — in November 2000. And her glitzy wedding to Michael Douglas at New York's Plaza Hotel was the scene of the crime, per BBC News.

The two A-listers had struck an exclusive million-pound deal with British magazine OK! to cover their nuptials, The New York Times reports. So the pair were left "devastated, shocked and appalled," Zeta-Jones later said (via The Guardian), after seeing unauthorized snaps of the reception — including the actress tucking into a piece of wedding cake — in rival publication Hello!. Had one of their nearest and dearest betrayed their trust and cashed in on the occasion with a few sneaky pics? Well, no. It turns out that a paparazzi photographer had somehow managed to worm their way into the event.

Hello! magazine soon learned that you mess with the Douglases at your peril. The newlyweds subsequently filed a lawsuit for invasion of privacy, loss of income, stress, and — because of the "sleazy and unflattering" nature of the photos, the actress said (via The Hollywood Reporter) — damage to their professional careers. After a six-week battle at London's High Court, which cost them approximately $5 million, they emerged victorious. In an official statement, the couple said (via People), "We deeply appreciate that the court has recognized the principle that every individual has the right to be protected from excessive and unwanted media intrusion into their private lives."

Catherine Zeta-Jones was forced to deal with further unwanted press attention in the mid-'00s, when she was accused of being anorexic. Rumors emerged that the Entrapment star was battling an eating disorder after she was pictured looking significantly slimmer than in her early Hollywood career. However, the actress soon put the record straight.

In a 2007 interview with People, Zeta-Jones revealed how she first learned of the allegations: "Michael was laughing at me. He told me what [people had] said — that stories say I'm anorexic. Do I look anorexic? How could I ever, ever be anorexic?" The Welshwoman insisted that her change in appearance was simply down to her healthier lifestyle choices, adding, "I'm just working out and not chomping down what I usually chomp down."

Zeta-Jones, however, does have experience of helping others with the problem — something she drew upon while starring as a bulimic beauty pageant coach in Queen America. When asked about playing a character with an eating disorder by Forbes in 2018, the Oscar winner replied, "Oh my God, it was really hard for me because I've been around it for so many years, you know? I was in 42nd Street: I was 17-years-old, I was a dancer; and so I'd been brought up with the image of a woman looking at herself in the mirror. I have seen it. I have been there. And I have helped other people go through a very serious issue."

Shortly after husband Michael Douglas recovered from his battle with cancer, Catherine Zeta-Jones also found herself in need of treatment. In 2011, the Traffic star checked herself into rehab for a long-running mental health issue. And bravely, she decided to go public with the news of her bipolar diagnosis.

According to the New York Post, Zeta-Jones' publicist declared that the Welshwoman had decided to seek help following a particularly stressful year. Once she checked out of the facility, the Oscar winner opened up further to People magazine: "This is a disorder that affects millions of people, and I am one of them. If my revelation of having bipolar II has encouraged one person to seek help, then it is worth it. There is no need to suffer silently and there is no shame in seeking help."

Zeta-Jones also returned to a mental health facility in 2013 to "manage her health in an optimum manner," her rep disclosed (via Reuters). Later that same year, the mother-of-two explained to Stella magazine (via The Telegraph) how her first stint had been triggered by her husband's health scare. "When Michael was diagnosed with cancer I really thought, 'You are going to have to wipe me off the floor,'" she said. "... When you get sideswiped like that, it's an obvious trigger for your balance to be a little bit off — not sleeping, worry, stress. It's a classic trigger."

In January 2018, Michael Douglas became the latest high-profile celebrity to find himself embroiled in the #MeToo movement. Pre-empting an article in The Hollywood Reporter, in which his former employee, Susan Braudy, made claims of inappropriate sexual conduct, the Disclosure star gave an interview with Deadline to strongly deny any wrongdoing: "I'd confess to anything I thought I was responsible for. And it was most certainly not masturbating in front of this woman. This reeks."

Catherine Zeta-Jones revealed to The Times later that same year that she was left both conflicted and "profoundly devastated" by the accusations leveled against her husband, admitting that "it put her in a really nasty position." With their two children, Dylan and Carys, by her side, the Welshwoman subsequently asked Douglas outright whether Braudy's claims were true. However, he insisted that there was "no story here, and that time will tell."

With no other allegations emerging since, Zeta-Jones seemed convinced of Douglas' honesty by that November. She told The Times, "There was nothing to back it up at all. For any accusation that comes out that isn't backed up, that knocks the movement back 20 years." Around that same time, the Intolerable Cruelty actress revealed to Today that she was proud of the way her family handled the speculation: "I'm a big European kind of family girl, and so everything is shared around the table ... I think you clear the air and everyone knows what's going on, there's no big surprises."