LOS ANGELES: Hollywood A-listers Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have decided to take a break from their 13-year marriage, a spokesman said Wednesday.
The 68-year-old US actor and his 43-year-old British wife have had a rough few years health-wise, while Douglas made headlines earlier this year with comments to a British newspaper about oral sex.
"Michael and Catherine are taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage. There is no further comment," Douglas spokesman Allen Burry told AFP, confirming a report in People magazine.
A spokeswoman for Zeta-Jones, Cece Yorke, issued an almost identifical statement.
Neither star has filed for divorce or legal separation, according to People, which cited a source as saying: "They're taking a break."
The movie star couple have not been photographed together since April, appearing on red carpets solo and vacationing separately.
The pair has faced a tumultuous few years, with Douglas fighting off throat cancer and Zeta-Jones undergoing treatment for bipolar disorder.
Douglas made waves in June when he attributed his throat cancer to the sexually transmitted Human papillomavirus (HPV), saying he caught it by performing oral sex. He later backtracked, saying he did not know what caused his cancer.
"The stress has taken a toll on their marriage," a friend told People magazine, Hollywood's celebrity bible.
The couple married in 2000, and have two children.
The Welsh actress Zeta-Jones won an Academy Award in 2003 for her supporting role in "Chicago" and has appeared in films such as "Traffic" and "Ocean's Twelve."
Douglas is an actor and producer who has won two Oscars and four Golden Globes in a career spanning more than four decades. His most well known films include 1987's "Fatal Attraction" and "Basic Instinct" in 1992.
More recently he reprised his Oscar-winning 1987 "Wall Street" role as ruthless stockbroker Gordon Gekko, in 2010's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."
This year the veteran actor, son of Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, was widely praised for playing flamboyant entertainer Liberace in the biopic "Behind the Candelabra," co-starring with Matt Damon.
The couple have two children, Dylan, 13, and 10-year-old Carys. They decided to live apart after Douglas returned from the Cannes Film Festival in May, shortly after his wife checked in for a second round of treatment for bipolar disorder, People reported.
The magazine quoted a family friend as saying they hoped to work out their differences.
"They want the best for their kids, no matter what happens," said the friend. (AFP)
