Michael's Heartbreak Catherine Walks Out

It’s over! Catherine Zeta-Jones leaves longtime husband michael douglas just three weeks after the tragic passing of his father.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were left devastated by the Feb. 5 death of Michael’s dad, beloved film star Kirk Douglas. The veteran actor was a huge part of their lives, and Catherine spent several months helping to care for him as his health declined. The 103-year-old was a father figure to the America’s Sweethearts actress for many years. Apparently, he was also the glue holding Michael and Catherine’s 19-year marriage together.

Just days after the Hollywood legend’s star-studded L.A. funeral, Catherine sat Michael down for a bombshell announcement. “‘I want out,’” the 50-year-old stunner told her husband, an insider reveals. Sources ex- clusively tell Star that Michael, 75, was ut- terly taken aback by the news. “Catherine’s decision to leave the marriage to take time for herself has left Michael completely blindsided,” says a source.

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It’s not a choice she made lightly. “She put a lot of thought into this,” says an insider. But Kirk’s death gave Catherine the push she needed to pull the plug. “Catherine’s been miserable for a long time — years, even — but she kept it together for their kids’and Kirk’s sake,” says a source. Now that Dylan, 19, is off at college (he’s a sophomore at Brown University) and budding model Carys, 16, will soon fly the coop as well, the timing was finally right. “Kirk’s gone, and the kids are grown,” says the source, “so there’s just no use pretending anymore.”