Catherine Zeta-Jones was “a mess” after cancer diagnosis

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas finally have a strong marriage, after going through recovery from cancer and the threat of divorce. But when that diagnosis first hit their household, Zeta-Jones says she didn’t deal well with the news.

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“I was a mess. I’ll be quite frank, I was a mess,” Zeta-Jones said, according to the New York Daily News.

Zeta-Jones and Douglas both spoke to more than 3,000 doctors at the Fifth World Congress of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies in New York City.

The couple recently decided to give their marriage another shot. They spoke at the event because both have become advocates for medical research and its benefits. According to People, they also wanted to thank the doctors who eventually saved Douglas’ life.

“When I’m married to a man who has such a conviction for life — he fights to make the wrongs right. For the first time, he was fighting for his life,” Zeta-Jones explained.

Douglas decided to fight for his love and underwent chemotherapy. He eventually lost 40 pounds, but the cancer was gone by the next year.

“In all seriousness, and in every sense of the word, I’m very fortunate to be here today,” Douglas said.

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Zeta-Jones seems happy with her marriage and with her mission to help other cancer patients. She said, “I’m very happy to be here this morning with my husband. I mean that literally. I’m very happy to be here with my husband.”