Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones has her designer-clad toes firmly back in public life. The raven-haired beauty has begun the year with a host of glamorous and charming stints on the chat show circuit. Officially, the appearances were to whet audiences' appetite for her new film, Broken City. Unofficially, the 43-year-old was showcasing her talent for glamour in a range of stunning couture threads.
With those jobs successfully done, the mum-of-two can now look forward to this year's Oscars ceremony, where she is expected to take part in a Les Miserables-inspired musical tribute. The film version of the West End epic has been nominated eight times, and Catherine clearly wants to embrace the magic the picture has dusted over awards season. Speaking of the upcoming performance, she told reporters it would be "great fun" but kept details of the show a closely-guarded secret. "I don't quite know the exact capacity in which I will be [at the Oscars]," she said. "But I'll be there, put it that way. I don't quite know exactly what I'm doing."
It won't be the first time Michael Douglas's wife has shone at the Academy Awards thanks to a musical. Catherine famously smouldered in the high-kicking movie version of Chicago, and in 2003, her role as Velma Kelly snared her the Oscar for best supporting actress.
Away from the glitz of her working life, Catherine has in the past spoken out about her battle with bipolar disorder. The Darling Buds of May star said she hoped her honesty would help to "lift the stigma" surrounding the illness she was diagnosed with in 2011. The brunette said she wanted other sufferers to know that help is available, and said that her diagnosis meant she learnt to appreciate her life all the more. "I've gained an appreciation for the little things," she said "like having tea outside on a terrace."
Her marriage to screen tsar Michael Douglas, whom she wed in 2000, has withstood time and both their personal challenges. The couple faced a crisis when Michael was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2010. At the time, Catherine said: "The hardest part is seeing his fatigue, because Michael is never tired. If there's anything Michael has, it's strength." True to form, the couple vowed not to let the disease beat them, and the 68-year-old made a full recovery and his tumour disappeared.
