Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones look like they may be headed for Splitsville.
The A-list couple, who tied the knot in high style at the Plaza Hotel in 2000 but have recently faced a host of stressful events in their marriage, are spending time apart, Zeta-Jones’ publicist confirmed to the Daily News.
“Catherine and Michael are taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage,” publicist Cece Yorke said in a statement Wednesday.
There was no further comment from either side.
Signs of trouble have been hard to miss for Douglas, 68, and Zeta-Jones, 43, this year.
The couple has not been photographed at each other’s side since April, when they attended a gala at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center. And they’ve also made solo red carpet appearances and taken separate vacations with their two children, according to PEOPLE magazine, which first reported the story.
Over the last few days, it has been more of the same: Douglas has been vacationing aboard a yacht off the coast of Sardinia, while his raven-haired wife has been in New York, the magazine reported.
Thirteen years of matrimony is almost a lifetime by Hollywood standards, but in recent years it has been one thing after another for the pair.
In 2010 — the very year the couple reportedly renewed their vows — it was revealed Douglas was suffering from throat cancer. Earlier this year Douglas said that his cancer is the type that “is caused by something called HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus.” He then had a spokesperson try to downplay the comment.
In 2011, Zeta-Jones made headlines due to her battle with Bipolar II disorder.
And then there is drug-addled Cameron Douglas — the actor’s 34-year-old son from his first marriage — who is currently serving a lengthy jail sentence for narcotics possession. Douglas acknowledged earlier this year that he thought stress he has endured as a result of Cameron’s struggles with addiction and the law might have played a role in the onset of his illness.
Taken together, it all seemed to be too much for the couple.
“The stress has taken a toll on their marriage,” a friend of theirs told PEOPLE.
The magazine reported the couple decided in May to take time apart; the decision came shortly after Douglas’ return from the Cannes Film Festival. At the time, Zeta-Jones had recently returned from a second round of treatment for her Bipolar disorder.
The couple has not lost hope, however: they have not filed for divorce or moved to establish a legal separation, PEOPLE reported.
“They want the best for their kids, no matter what happens,” a family friend told the magazine.
The couple has two children together: Dylan, 13, and Carys, 10.
After Douglas’ first marriage, to Diandra Luker, ended in a divorce that set him back $45 million, the Hollywood legend saw his relationship with Zeta-Jones as a chance to learn from the past.
“I love kids and I love having had this second chance to have a family,” the two-time Oscar winner told The Mirror in July.
“It was all a gamble … but it’s paid off all right.”
But if the couple’s romance does end in divorce, it will also pay off for Douglas that he and Zeta-Jones reportedly signed a pre-nup.
ndillon@nydailynews.com
