Catherine Zeta-Jones was born in a small town in Wales, England. She became a dancer at a young age and in her dancing career, she learned that one can become addicted to praise and equally addicted to criticism.
While her mother may have seen Zeta-Jones’ beauty, she never saw herself that way. However, her mother tried to get her to see herself through the eyes of people who admired her.
She didn’t feel beautiful
Speaking about how her mother told her to behave, Zeta-Jones said she never thought of herself as beautiful, but her mother advised her to «do her best» even if she didn’t necessarily feel beautiful. This gave her a sense of confidence that has stayed with her throughout her life.
Zeta-Jones said she never saw herself as a pageant girl, but the idea of pageants helped her understand why women are subjected to criticism for their looks and talents. She acknowledged that it gave them a sense of purpose and motivation.
The actress mentioned that she thought it was admirable for a young woman to enter the pageant world. For even though they know they will be judged harshly, their participation helps them further advance their career in terms of acting or public speaking.
She shared that she understood that many people thought pageants were not something many women should participate in, but they were a tool for them to make something of themselves.
Zeta-Jones did something similar to further her career in Hollywood. When she was 15, she left school in Wales and moved to London to pursue her acting career. Just two years later, she landed her first major role.
She landed a role in London’s West End in a revival of the musical «42nd Street». Fortunately, for her, the leading lady and the understudy for the leading lady were unable to perform, so she got the lead role.
After landing that role, her career took off and she went on to star in many well-known films and series throughout her life. She has become a household name over the years and has realized all her dreams.
She met Michael Douglas
After enjoying a career in Hollywood for a while, Zeta-Jones met her husband, but their first meeting was not love at first sight for her. In fact, she wanted nothing to do with Douglas.
The histrion saw Zeta-Jones and knew he wanted to know more about her, so he asked her publicist if they could arrange a meeting for the couple. Zeta-Jones agreed to have a drink with him.
After spending some time talking over drinks, Douglas confidently told Zeta-Jones that he would one day be the father of her children. She didn’t like the idea, however, and responded:
«You know I’ve heard a lot about you, and I’ve seen a lot about you, and I think it’s time to say ‘Good night.’»
Douglas admitted that he thought he had ruined his chances with the actress that night, so he sent her flowers to apologize for what he had said. The apology worked and they managed to get back together and try to make their relationship work, despite their age difference and busy careers.
Douglas proved to be true to his word, as he and Zeta-Jones have been married for many years and had children together. The couple welcomed their first child in 2000 and married that same year. Their wedding is remembered as one of the longest in history, ending at 6:00 a.m. the next day when they only intended for it to end at 6:00 p.m. the day before.
The couple’s first child, Dylan, was born the same year they married. Three years later, they welcomed their daughter, Carys. They finally got their happy ending, but they knew they didn’t want to raise their children in Hollywood.
Zeta-Jones and Douglas decided to raise their children somewhere where they could have a somewhat normal life, away from the paparazzi and tabloids. This led them to move to Bermuda and live there for twelve years while their children were growing up. Bermuda is where Douglas’ mother is from.
Zeta-Jones isn’t worried about her age
At 53, some Hollywood actresses would do anything to reverse the effects of aging. However, Zeta-Jones is comfortable with her age and pays no attention to critics who have things to say about it. There have been many instances of derogatory speeches against the actress, but she doesn’t mind at all.
The movie star has admitted that she finds her age to be a new chapter in her life that is exciting instead of daunting. She even said that she has become more confident as she gets older.
«I have my insecurities like any woman. But as I get older, I have a lot more confidence in my appearance,» she confessed.
She mentioned that walking down a red carpet is daunting no matter who you are, and sometimes she finds it difficult, but now she is confident and doesn’t pay attention to what others might think of her.
Zeta-Jones said another thing she has gotten used to doing as she gets older is standing up for herself. She doesn’t let anyone walk all over her, but she’s not looking for trouble either.
She joked that she is not hard on people and defends herself gracefully. But she assures that she always takes care of herself before worrying about what others might think of what she does or says.
The actress realized that this ability came with age and wisdom and allowed a new chapter of her life to unfold that she was eager to explore.
«My dreams have come true, and everything else is now a bonus for me,» she commented.
While Zeta-Jones is a confident woman, many criticize her. Her Instagram posts are often met with disparaging comments about her age or what she should be doing instead of posing for magazine covers.
Once, the actress shared a snapshot of a photo shoot she had done where she was wearing black stilettos, a white dress shirt and a cream blazer. Many fans praised her good looks, but others were not so kind.
In one follower’s comment, he implied that she was too old to post a photo like that and that it made him sick to look at her. Others wondered how much Photoshop they used to make the image look good.
Another post that fueled disparaging comments was one of Zeta-Jones on the set of a photo shoot. She mentioned that she played David Bowie while filming to make herself feel better.
However, comments on the video of her dancing to the music while smiling at the camera were not all good. One follower suggested she should take up gardening instead of doing photo shoots, while another described her as a «creepy old lady.»
Despite all the negative comments she receives, Zeta-Jones remains confident and even goes makeup-free on social media quite often. She has posted her bare face several times on Instagram and is happy to share her natural beauty with her followers.
The actress said that while she tries to eat healthy most of the time, she enjoys desserts and things like fast food. She even said she hopes to be able to enjoy these things well into her old age, joking:
«But when I get really old, I’m going to start taking a lot of vitamins because I just want to be able to eat desserts for the rest of my life.»
Zeta-Jones confessed that the only reason she eats as well as she does now is because she knows she has to keep her body healthy and fit.
