It's never easy breaking up with someone — especially when it comes to dividing up
your stuff. All too familiar with this agony is Michael Douglas,
who recently opened up about the struggles of sharing a living space with his ex-wife.
The ex, in this case, is Diandra Luker, the daughter of an Australian diplomat whom
Douglas wed in 1977. The two divorced in 2000 as part of a $45 million settlement. In fact,
Douglas and Luker were married for an impressive 22 years and had a son together. Despite this long
shared history, however, it seems like the two exes aren't exactly the "still friends" type.
Part of their settlement included the shared use of the former couple's 250-acre Majorcan villa.
Set just outside the Spanish village of Valldemossa, the magnificent S'Estaca
estate provides gorgeous views and luxurious amenities — but Douglas could only enjoy it
for half of the year, as the remaining six months were for Luker's use only.
But don't feel too bad for Douglas and his measly half a year of Spanish
villa fun — the actor bought out his ex's share last year,
securing exclusive use for himself and his current wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Of course, considering they were never at the property at the same time,
sharing a house with an ex doesn't sound too terrible. But Michael Douglas has been candid
about the struggles of co-owning the Majorcan estate with his ex,
telling local magazine Ultima Hora that the experience, quote, "wasn't pleasant for anyone."
Catherine Zeta-Jones, whom Douglas wed in 2000, was apparently not too
keen on sharing the home with Luker either — even though it doesn't sound
like the family stays ever overlapped. Douglas claims his wife feels, quote,
"much more comfortable" now that they have exclusive use of the property.
And it appears that the estate plays a big role in the couple's life.
Douglas paints an idyllic picture of time spent reading,
lunching, and sleeping by the glamorous Spanish seaside, while Zeta-Jones regularly
posts cute Instagram snaps of her and her family enjoying their time there.
While Michael Douglas' living situation with Diandra Luker might have been unconventional,
he had good reason for putting up with it: He loves the island of Majorca!
In his interview with Ultima Hora, the actor opened up about how he
enjoys the space and how he whiles away the hours there. He said:
"I devote at least two hours to reading the news. Then we play sports. Some days,
friends come over for lunch, we have a siesta and when we wake up,
it's when people in Los Angeles have begun to work, so I can work from here with LA."
As one neighbour of Douglas has said:
"It's also an incredibly relaxed atmosphere in there, and
we’ve-we've had some very, very good times in there."
Douglas divides his time between a 13-acre estate in Irvington, New York,
a home in Swansea, Wales, and the Majorca compound. However,
the Majorca compound holds a special place in his heart. He once told the Daily Mail:
"Even if we leave, Majorca will always be in our hearts and our lives. We have spent many,
many hours here and it's where I fell in love with Catherine [Zeta-Jones],
so for that reason the island means a lot to me — and I am already part of its history."
Still, despite his connection with the Majorca estate, Michael Douglas once tried to sell it
while sharing it with Diandra Luker. The star put the exclusive property on the market in 2014
for a cool £48 million. After five years passed, no one was biting at the offer,
so Douglas released a Hollywood-esque trailer in 2019 that expounded on the property's many assets.
Of course, that didn't quite work out — but considering he recanted his decision
to put it up for sale and instead bought out Luker's share in 2020,
maybe it was for the best. Perhaps this means that as they enjoy their golden years together,
he and Catherine Zeta-Jones will be spending even more time in Majorca than they already do.
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