Michael Douglas admits his secret Kathleen Turner romance after 40 years

Michael Douglas revealed that Kathleen Turner was “smart, funny, and sexy with a deep, sultry voice.”

For those unaware, Michael starred in the 1984’s romance as a male lead and he also served as a producer, however when the actor was searching for a perfect female lead he met then-rising Kathleen Turner, who ultimately joined the cast as Joan Wilder.

According to People Magazine, the Hollywood star revealed in his upcoming memoir, One Helluva Ride, about his instant attraction towards the actress.

As he wrote “Kathleen was smart, funny, and sexy with a deep, sultry voice that became her signature. I instantly liked her, and we were immediately attracted to each other.”

As Michael was married to his then-wife Diandra Douglas he revealed that “Things at home were in a bad place. Diandra and I were both having extramarital affairs, including my recent romance with Diane Thomas [Romancing the Stone’s screenwriter].”

Adding, “I never asked Diandra to change who she was, but having found out who I was after she fell in love with me and married me, Diandra constantly asked me to change. It created enormous problems between us. Cameron, who was now five, felt that strain in my absence, and that weighed on me even more than the strife in the marriage…. I left for Mexico, still technically married, but separated.”

After decades of fans wondering about Michael and Kathleen whether they were a real couple, the actor finally confirmed, as he wrote, “The chemistry I had with Kathleen Turner was so strong, audiences have been certain for years that we were in a relationship together while making the film. We both denied it through Romancing The Stone, Jewel of the Nile, War of the Roses, and even while doing press a few years ago for The Kominsky Method.”

Noting, “The official story went as follows: Yes, we confessed, we had amazing chemistry. Yes, we were both, as Kathleen said, “terrible flirts,’” and yes, we were both tempted, but nothing ever happened between us.” Michael disclosed, “That was a lie.”

“It was a lie meant to protect my wife and son, a lie we told the world for 40 years. In fact, during a People magazine interview only a few years ago Kathleen held to it, saying, ‘Oh I was yearning, babe, but he was still married... It was that wonderful sexual tension, you know? When you really, really know you want somebody — and I’m saying it went both ways — and you can’t have them…’”

“The truth is that during the production of Romancing the Stone, Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship. It wasn’t a fly-by night affair; it grew naturally from how closely we were working together, how much pressure we were under, how much we respected and cared for one another, and how attracted we were to each other. Like every other guy in the world at the time, I was knocked sideways by Kathleen....”

However, their secret romance came to a halt when his former wife brought their son Cameron Morrell Douglas “down to Mexico” and Diandra “grew suspicious” about his romance with Kathleen.

“At some point, she was alone with Kathleen and made it clear to her that we were still married. Her view of the terms of our separation was different from mine. This gave Kathleen pause. She didn’t want to interfere,” he stated further in his memoir.

“Even though Diandra and I were having major problems in our relationship, we had our own son to think about. My parents’ divorce had really hurt me as a child, and Cameron was right about the same age I was when my parents split. After that visit, Kathleen and I ended things, and I went back to Diandra. I did it for Cameron, but we shouldn’t have gotten back together. After that first split it was never the same between us ever again,” Michael acknowledged.

It is pertinent to mention here that despite their past romance the celebrity duo remained friends for decades.