Michael Douglas issued apology to Catherine Zeta-Jones after oral sex cancer diagnosis
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
Michael Douglas apologised to his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones after he'd said he got throat cancer from oral sex.
The actors have been married since 2000 and in 2010 after several months of pain in his throat and ear Douglas was diagnosed with stage four squamous cell carcinoma oral cancer.
It had started with his gums feeling sore with his doctor telling him he most likely had an infection, but the pain persisted and for months he had been to see all sorts of specialists to try and find out why his treatments weren't working.
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Finally a Canadian doctor diagnosed him with stage four cancer and Douglas received several weeks of chemotherapy which the actor said 'very accurately mapped to the seven cycles of hell'.
Speaking about it to The Guardian in 2013, he revealed: "Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV (human papillomavirus), which actually comes about from cunnilingus."
Douglas said that 'it's a sexually transmitted disease that causes cancer', but had gone on to add 'if you have it, cunnilingus is also the best cure for it' which doctors disagreed with.
A couple of years later he said he regretted the 'embarrassment' his comments had caused his wife and tried to clear up what he meant.
He told Event magazine: "I so regretted any embarrassment that it caused Catherine and her family.
"What I was trying to say was that there is a sexually transmitted virus called HPV.
"But there is a vaccination that they recommend to al kids before they become sexually active so they don’t catch HPV, which is a cause of certain types of cancer – cervical cancer, tongue and throat."
While he went through a 's**t-pot of chemo and radiation' for his treatment that made him 'very weak', Zeta-Jones had said what made her 'furious' was how long it had taken for her husband to be diagnosed properly.
Following her husband's diagnosis in 2010, she told People: "It makes me furious they didn't detect it earlier. He sought every option and nothing was found."
His cancer diagnosis came at around the same time Zeta-Jones revealed she'd been diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, and for a while there was strain on their relationship with them separating in 2013 before they got back together eight months later.
Douglas said: "We had a little bump in the road. I love Catherine as much, more than I ever have. And hopefully the feeling’s mutual."
Symptoms of oral HPV
HPV is a very common group of viruses and for the most part won't cause problems, but in the most serious of cases it can result in cancer.
It is important that you see a doctor if you notice these symptoms persisting, or if they are starting to worry you:
- Long-lasting sore throat
- Hoarseness
- Ear aches
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Pain when swallowing
- Unexplained weight loss
Symptoms of oropharyngeal cancer
According to Macmillan, the key warning signs are:
- a painless swelling or lump in the neck
- a sore throat or tongue
- earache
- difficulty swallowing, or moving your mouth and jaw
- changes in your voice
- bad breath
- unexplained weight loss
- unequal-looking tonsils
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Joe Harker