A celeb love affair and a fairytale marriage is beautiful to read about, but is it always a “happily ever after”? The stars may make the regular public go green with envy with their lavish fairytale lives, but all those royal weddings, exotic holidays and luxurious lifestyles have another side to them. Here are two of the most powerful star couples from Hollywood, whose lives have been anything but a fairytale: the Tom Cruise - Katie Holmes and Michael Douglas - Catherine Zeta Jones wedding has one uncanny common link, both couples said, “I do” on the same date i.e. November 18.
Michael Douglas - Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones was 39 when she met Michael Douglas, 54 at the Deauville Film Festival in France in August 1998. And he is the only man who got away with this line on the actress, yes Douglas actually told her, “I want to father your children”. And it worked! It’s been 15 years since they got hitched and though they’ve had their share of ups and downs over the years, the Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ bond seems stronger than ever.
On 18th November 2000, the couple walked down the aisle, after Douglas’ divorce with his ex-wife Diandra Luker came through.
This match was made in tabloid heaven with a venue at the grand Plaza Hotel, in New York. Apart from the frenzy to get a glimpse of the newly married couple, everyone also wanted to get an eyeful of Catherine’s engagement ring - a 1920s antique by Fred Leighton, featuring a 10-carat stone surrounded by 28 smaller stones, estimated to cost $1million.
The couple has two lovely children – 15-year-old son Dylan Michael and 12-year-old daughter Carys Zeta. However, soon after their 2000 wedding, several tabloids had predicted that the Hollywood power couple’s marriage would not last.
So in August 2013, when the media reported that Douglas and Zeta-Jones have began living separately, every one believed the fairytale was over. The couple had called it quits but were yet to take a formal decision towards a separation or divorce. A representative for Zeta-Jones subsequently confirmed that they “are taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage.”
And they did work on it. On November 1st, it was reported that the couple had reconciled and have moved in back together. Michael even talked about it on Ellen DeGeneres’ show.
Today, as they complete 15 years of being together, take a look at this video, which proves that the Douglas - Zeta Jones love story will continue to charm.
Tom Cruise - Katie Holmes
Their high-octane romance captivated millions around the world. We have seen Tom Cruise being in and out of love many times over the years but with Katie Holmes, it was different. Fans couldn’t get enough of ‘TomKat’. And he was a smitten kitten.
Remember Cruise’s epic couch jump on the Oprah Winfrey show?
It all started in Rome, where Katie found herself at the centre of a media frenzy, overnight becoming the most famous girlfriend in the world. Just weeks after their introduction at a business meeting in April 2005, Holmes was Cruise’ date to the David di Donatello Awards.
Two months after the famous Oprah interview Katie Holmes was wearing a five-carat oval diamond, set in rose gold and platinum – presented to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower, along with a marriage proposal.
On October 6, 2005, Cruise and Holmes announced that they were expecting a child. Suri was born in 2006 and that very year the two tied the knot.
The little girl was the guest of honour when Cruise and Holmes finally sealed their love with a magnificent wedding in Italy, organised by Roberta Armani. It was a royal affair as the majestic 15th-century Odescalchi castle was the venue chosen for D-day. Fans camped outside to celebrate with their hero and his bride.
However, what looked like a wonderful and promising relationship, soon ended. In 2012 the celeb couple ended their five-year-old marriage. There was a lot of speculation around it but a year after their divorce, Tom Cruise admitted for the first time that it was Holmes who filed for divorce, in part, to remove their daughter, Suri, away from his religion (The Church of Scientology).
During a trial for an ongoing lawsuit with a magazine over their cover story, Cruise admitted for the first time that Scientology was a contributing factor for their divorce.
Katie, a single mother now, opened up on her divorce more recently and all the unwanted attention she received from the split.
“I don’t want that moment in my life to define me, to be who I am. I don’t want that to be what I’m known as. I was an actor before, an actor during and an actor now,” Holmes told People magazine.
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