MATT DAMON IN THERAPY TO SAVE HIS MARRIAGE

A $100 million divorce was on the cards for the workaholic star before he sought help

When Matt Damon's wife Luciana Barroso begged him to take some time off to save their marriage, the Hollywood A-lister agreed but with one proviso - if director Christopher Nolan asked, he would take the job.

"This is going to sound made up, but it's actually true," Matt, 52, revealed during the press tour for his new Nolan-directed flick Oppenheimer, in which he plays Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, the military leader who supervised the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb.

"I had not to get too personal - negotiated extensively with my wife that I was taking time off. I had been in Interstellar and then Chris put me on ice for a couple of movies, so I wasn't in the rotation," he continued, "but I actually negotiated in couples therapy - this is a true story - the one caveat to my taking time off was if Chris Nolan called."

However, a source tells Woman's Day, "It might be a funny anecdote for Matt to tell the press pack during interviews, but for Luciana it was actually devastating.