Posting a series of photos of the couple over the years, Zeta‑Jones wrote: “I love you today as I did then.” Douglas shared his own message to “my darling Catherine”, adding with humour: “Who knew?”
The pair married at a star‑studded ceremony at New York’s Plaza Hotel on 18 November 2000, two years after meeting at a film festival in France. Douglas’ now‑famous opening line to Zeta‑Jones was: “I want to be the father of your children.” She later recalled her response as a polite goodnight — but admitted years later that he was right.
The couple have two children, Dylan and Carys, and Zeta‑Jones has often spoken of how people doubted their marriage would last. Earlier this year she described reaching the milestone as “really quite thrilling.”
Douglas has regularly travelled to Wales with his wife, saying he is enamoured by the people and countryside, though he once joked about the “brutal” weather. In 2019 he joined Zeta‑Jones in Swansea when she was awarded the honorary freedom of the City and County, an honour she described as “a real privilege.”
Zeta‑Jones began her career on the London stage before starring in The Darling Buds of May in the early 1990s. She went on to achieve international acclaim, winning an Academy Award for Chicago in 2003 and a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in A Little Night Music. In 2010 she was appointed a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Her Swansea roots remain central to her story, with the city proudly celebrating one of its most famous daughters as she and Douglas mark a quarter of a century together.
