Actor Michael Douglas says he has become a better husband and a father since his cancer battle.
The 72-year-old actor was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010 and says that since recovering from the illness he has been determined to spend more time with Catherine Zeta Jones, 47, and their children, Dylan, 16, and Carys, 13, reported Contactmusic.
“I have more time with them, and I chose to use my time. Once I started coming out the other end of stage four, it gave me a whole new appreciation of life. Also it allowed me to spend a fair amount of time with my wife and children, and support them.
“When you get into your 70s, you are not getting the same roles. And it made me appreciate how blessed it was to have the family I have around me in life. For many of us that are getting there, you start not taking the years for granted. Family gives me more purpose than any other thing in my life,” Douglas says.
The couple briefly split in 2014 but are now happier than ever.
“You've both got to want to make it happen. Every marriage has got its issues – this and that. I think if you are fortunate enough to take a look, and you want make it work and you want to try then you can succeed. Then when we do succeed it makes you tighter than ever before – we are like 17 years now,” he adds.