Catherine Zeta-Jones really did take a big step back after she announced last year that she was suffering from a bipolar disorder. She checked into a mental health facility, came out and then continued about her business, filming a few movies and basically living the same glamorous life that she’s always lived with Michael Douglas. In January, she’s got that horrible-looking Playing for Keeps coming out – it’s a rom-com starring Jessica Biel and Gerard Butler, and Zeta is like the fourth lead down. I’m not sure why that warrants an InStyle cover, but sure. Here she is on the December cover – it’s not a very good image, is it? Thankfully, the interview is a lot better:
Going public with her bipolar disorder: “It’s been an intense time, in good ways and bad. You find out who you really are and who you’re married to. You find things inside yourself you never imagined were there. I’ve gained an appreciation for little things, like tea outside on a terrace and a beautiful afternoon like this. ”
Dealing with criticism: “You can’t escape what people say, and if you’re human it can be painful. The smartest thing I did was to stop going online. I’m the sort of person who will just look for the negative. [My husband] Michael [Douglas] can’t really understand it, but that is the way I am. With my bipolar thing, that’s poison. So I just stopped. Cold turkey. And it’s so liberating.”
Raising awareness: “I’m not the kind of person who likes to shout out my personal issues from the rooftops, but with my bipolar becoming public, I hope fellow suffers will know it is completely controllable. I hope I can help remove any stigma attached to it, and that those who didn’t have it under control will seek help with all that is available to treat it.”
Exercise: “I don’t have a trainer. Crazy, right? But I don’t need anyone to motivate me. I love exercise, even things like the elliptical and stretching. It really helps my mood too, which, with the bipolar thing, is important… I’m obsessed with hula-hooping. I do it for 20 minutes a day. I don’t use the old-fashioned hollow plastic kind we had when we were kids, but I discovered a new one at Danskin that’s smaller and weighted.”
Building her dream closet: “I’m building a closet in my house now, and it’s like a dream. Racks on each side, a whole boudoir. I sit in there and watch CNN. Michael says one day I’m going to go in and never come out!”
Her real style: “I love clothes, and yes, we go out, but it’s not like I’m walking around all day in a negligee with fluffy mules. We’re country people, really. I garden and knit. I golf. We ride horses. It’s true, I don’t like the whole cutoff-shorts-and-T-shirt look, but I think you can look fantastic in casual clothes.”
[Via People Magazine and InStyle]
God, Zeta reminds me of me. I can obsess on the negative too. I don’t need a trainer either – I can motivate myself just fine, thank you. I would love to sit in my closet and watch CNN. I too am probably more “country” than people know. Me and Zeta, sisters under the skin. I would say it was because of the Virgo sign, but Zeta missed being a Virgo by a couple of days – she’s a Libra! Still, we’re totes sisters.
As for her whole “It’s not like I’m walking around all day in a negligee with fluffy mules. We’re country people, really” thing – who is she kidding? I mean, I don’t think she just wanders around in evening gowns all the time, but I do believe she’s incapable of NOT being glamorous and put-together.
Photos courtesy of InStyle and WENN.
I found it interesting that she kept calling it the “bipolar thing”. I’m glad she has opened up about it.
I totally forgot that she has bipolar disorder.
her face looks really strained.
Yes, her face does look super jacked up. I am always surprised that the marriage to Michael Douglas has lasted, but I am happy for them. Neither of them has ever seemed very genuine, or even nice, but perhaps both their health problems have made them stronger together.
Yeah, I think many of us suspected she’d marry Douglas for name recognition, drop a kid and then divorce him for all he was worth. But fair play to them, they’re still together and seem genuinely in love.
Her face looks scary though. Sad, because she was once so stunningly gorgeous. So much character and life in her face, and not stick thin either. Now, she looks like just another Hollywood wife who lives in fear of ageing. And she’s only 43!
She used be to so hot! Curvy yet healthy and now she’s scary thin. I question this “so-called” bipolar disorder and call it alcoholism. That’s why her face is messed up, hard drinking and bad tweaking.
Isn’t she exaggerating a bit? CZJ is the last person I would imagine has a ton of criticism online. There was not any negative press when she came out with her bipolar disorder. Or maybe I missed or forgot some scandal?
I think with any celebrity out there, if they just google their name, stuff will just pop up. No one can please millions of people so there is bound to be hateful comments out there.
I remember when she first came out in Zorro and the media was gushing about how she could have anyone. I know I was surprised she choose Michael but now I get it – she choose someone safe. He probably treats her like gold.
Just take a look at this thread if you don’t think there’s criticism everywhere she looks. Faking her age, botox, her face looks jacked, married for money and fame, etc. You don’t think that would bother you to read that stuff about yourself? She’s smart to go offline, and a lot of celebrities ought to follow her lead.
^^ this
So, I’m not as good as some of you at detecting plastic surgery but I notice no crazy cheek implants. She’s not ‘toxing anymore either, is she?
It makes me sad that people think she looks bad now. Is it mandatory to tox the wrinkles off your face now?
I totally agree! What bothers me more than her normal 43-year-old woman wrinkles is that awful magazine cover photo. She looks 25. It’s ridiculous.
Add a decade. She’s been lying about her age for years. She looks like she’s been stung by a thousand jellyfish.
Was that cover shot made like 10 years ago? How strange. She is still a pretty lady..show her how she really is. Photoshop is the bane of our society.
Agreed! It looks like they took a photo of her from 10 years ago and photo shopped it onto a body! It looks so bizarre. I actually laughed when I received my Instyle mag copy yesterday and saw the cover. It is so obvious.
LOL I hope nothing negative comes on about her while she’s watching CNN in her closet.
I think CZJ is fake as hell and I don’t particularly like her, but I do admire the fact that she now openly talks about being bipolar.
I just got on this thread to say: I love CZJ. She’s an old school movie star-and she handles herself with aplomb.
Just like the old stars, there may be things going on behind the scenes, but you give the public that glamorous look-she’s iconic to me, and sophisticated…and a good actress/dancer/performer.
She’s an entertainer….and not obnoxious about it like julia roberts and so many others….
I like that she’s somewhat inaccessible but not in a snobby way. She is who she is.
think about the old school movie stars: you would not call them ‘fake’ or even consider that continuum….b/c it would be none of our business what’s going on for them, aside from what image they want to present. Now, it’s ‘relatability’ instead of fairy tale fantasy, that the public supposedlyl wants in their celebs. I’d rather have fairy tale-not royalty, but along t hose lines of glamour and an imagined lifestyle that you yourself do not have. This is also what makes rom coms entertaining as a ‘genre’, despite the constant flack they get [over, you know, bombing the sh*t out of people or being a fake superhero or CGI stuff-don’t really see what the difference is, except one is about a love story….anyway diversion.]
Love her. wish she’d act in more films with better roles….
Any casting agents or directors reading this: Get CZJ more work, assuming she wants it!
Stopped going online? Maybe LeAnn could learn a little bit from her.
I don’t think her face looks bad. I think she looked good when she put on a couple of pounds and now that she’s slimmed down again, her face looks weird.
She is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. And no, Jessica Biel you are not nncluded in that list.
Ok y’all are gonna hate me for this, but me thinks the Bi-Polar disorder is just a cover-up for her Bitch Power disorder.
Gettin’ old’s a bitch, i speak from experience. There are days when i have to deal with my own BP disorder.
Thank God for CeleBitchy, it’s a very effective treatment.
Um, yeah “that bipolar thing” is called borderline personality disorder. Whatevs, if the meds help, they help.
I’ve always loved her… just wish she would stop messing with her face.
Or at least get better, less obvious work… it’s not like she can’t afford it.
Glad that her and Michael are going strong…. always hoped they would make it =O)
I think she is gorgeous,but I have a feeling in the back of my mind, that Catherine is about 8 to 10 yrs older than her age. I recall a White House press dinner where she attended with Michael Douglas and they informed her that they had her age as being 10yrs older, but she told them at the dinner that the documents they had were wrong and she was 10yrs younger than they said. I think she married Michael Douglas because he is old Hollywood Royalty for generations, he has money from two milleniums and he was so much older that he would not leave her. His wild oats were sewed. I read that she wanted Sean Connery, but he wasn’t going to leave his wife of decades. Catherine was rumoured to have put word out that she wanted a older, established respected Actor who would help her career and also marry her. She was supposedly placed with several actors in hopes that something would click, finally she was seated next to Douglas and things clicked between them.
I also read that when she first appeared in LA there was a very powerful industry person who saw to it she got redcarpet exposure, gowns, jewels, when she had not much going on, and she was smart about letting her desires known to this mover and shaker and certain individuals were put in her path because supposedly Catherine would always take the opportunity(man,audition, movie role opportunity) presented and run with it. She’s a smart lady.