Michael Douglas Denies Sex Addiction Rehab Rumor in Tense Interview

Michael Douglas is pushing back on a decades-old rumor.

The 82-year-old actor told London's The Sunday Times in a profile published Sunday, Oct. 4, that he never went to rehab for sex addiction. He blamed a British tabloid editor for the story, saying it keeps coming up even now.

"A British tabloid editor came up with this story, which, thank you very much, here we are talking about at 82," he said. "It happens with the tabloids and, well, I won't blame your country alone, but you're probably better known for it than most. It wasn't true."

The interview, tied to Douglas' new memoir *One Helluva Ride*, got tense when the reporter asked about an excerpt in which the actor wrote that he ended things "with five women" before marrying Catherine Zeta-Jones. Douglas clarified that he wasn't admitting to anything salacious.

"No, no, it's not what it was," he said. "What Catherine said is, if we're going to continue this, then I want it to be monogamous. And so I therefore, that evening, you know, made some calls to some people I was seeing, and that was that."

The Kathleen Turner confession

Elsewhere in *One Helluva Ride*, Douglas wrote that he and his *Romancing the Stone* costar Kathleen Turner secretly dated while filming the 1984 movie. The pair had denied it for years.

"The chemistry I had with Kathleen Turner was so strong, audiences have been certain for years that we were in a relationship together while making the film," he wrote. "The truth is that during the production of Romancing the Stone, Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship."

Douglas said they "never hit a rough spot" and that he would sneak into her hotel room after shooting.

Turner, 72, responded with a statement to People: "Good heavens, what a fuss about something 40 years ago! I love Michael, and I look forward to enjoying the book."

The marriage part

The profile also covered Douglas' brief 2013 split from Zeta-Jones. When asked how he "won her back," Douglas said the break was mutual.

"It was a mutual. ... You know, we had our problems, but I love her dearly and, 25 years, you know," he said. "I mean, I don't know about your marital status, but marriage is a lot of work. And so, you know, we're good. We're in good shape. It's all I can say."

The reporter noted Douglas' tone turned "accusatory" at points during the interview, including when the actor questioned why British press fixates on sex.

"My curiosity is why, of all countries, of all the press that I do, why are the Brits so consumed with the issues of sex?" he said.

• Catherine Zeta-Jones
• Kathleen Turner
• memoir
• Michael Douglas
• One Helluva Ride
• The Sunday Times