Michael Douglas reveals secrets behind Catherine Zeta-Jones marriage after shocking separation

Michael Douglas’ secrets behind his and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ long-lasting marriage include humor, communication and open mindedness.

“A good sense of humor doesn’t hurt, number one. And talking things out. Never using the words ‘never’ or ‘always’ when you get angry with each other,” the actor told People Tuesday when asked about his and Zeta-Jones’ longevity.

“And putting yourself in the other person’s position before you make your value judgment. But you gotta have fun. When I first met her, I said, ‘Do you like golf?’ She said, ‘I love golf.’ Well, I melted,” he gushed.

The couple separated in 2013 but reunited by the following year. When asked what he learned from that time apart, the “Wall Street” actor credited communication as the key factor that brought them back together.

“Communication, talking. It’s an English trait — I know my mother had it — where you don’t talk about things that are uncomfortable,” Douglas admitted.

“I think sometimes because you don’t know the answers, you don’t want to ask the questions. I think we have to be able to talk out some things. It’s made it easier for us to understand each other,” he explained.

While promoting his new memoir, “One Helluva Ride,” Douglas revealed that he “never gave up hope” that he’d “reconcile” with the actress during their brief separation.

The film producer noted that their break was a “mutual” decision and that they had “problems” but never lost the love for one another.

Douglas and Zeta-Jones tied the knot on Nov. 18, 2000, the same year he finalized his divorce from his first wife, Diandra Luker.

The couple shares two children, Dylan, 26, and daughter Carys, 23, who are both actors.

In his new novel, Douglas recalled becoming infatuated with his now-wife after seeing an early screening of her 1998 movie “The Mask of Zorro.”

A few weeks later, he was at the Deauville American Film Festival in France promoting his movie “A Perfect Murder,” and Zeta-Jones also happened to be attending. He asked his publicist to arrange a meeting over drinks.

“She was smart, funny, unpretentious, and, yes, breathtakingly beautiful. She just seemed so confident and self-assured, too,” Douglas wrote in the book.

Also in the tell-all, the Oscar winner dished on his romances with several actresses before meeting Zeta-Jones, including Kathleen Turner and Jeanne Tripplehorn.