Michael Douglas reveals ‘secret’ 1980s romance with Kathleen Turner, admits lying for 40 years

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Michael Douglas recently disclosed surprising information about his past love life. The 'Basic Instinct' actor opened up about the "secret" romance he allegedly kept hidden for 40 years.

In his new memoir, 'One Helluva Ride,' the Oscar winner admitted to being involved in a hush-hush romance with his 'Romancing the Stone' co-star, Kathleen Turner. The 82-year-old actor also admitted that he had to "lie" about the relationship to protect his then-wife, Diandra Douglas, and their son, Cameron.

Speaking about Turner in his memoir, Douglas said, "I instantly liked her, and we were immediately attracted to each other." He revealed, "Kathleen was smart, funny, sultry voice that became her signature. I instantly liked her."

Michael Douglas on his 'secret' romance with Kathleen Turner

The 82-year-old actor clearly mentioned in his new memoir that he and his co-star Turner fell in love while filming the 1984 blockbuster in Mexico. As the producer of the action comedy, Douglas had to meet with Turner, who was a rising star at the time, after Debra Winger dropped out of the project.

The memoir continues, "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."

Douglas then shared, "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. That was a lie."

His memoir added, "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 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…'"

It continued, "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."

He further revealed, "Kathleen and I never hit a rough spot. We found each other first as friends, then as co-stars, and finally as lovers. Following an exhausting day of shooting in the jungle, we’d go out and have a meal, or head out with the group, and afterwards I would sneak into her hotel room after everybody was asleep."

Douglas added, "There were no cameras in elevators, no assistants using cell phones to take pictures. As Jack and Joan were falling in love, Kathleen and I were keeping the chemistry alive. We kept our involvement hidden. Even (director) Bob (Zemeckis) and (co-star) Danny [DeVito] were unaware."

Michael Douglas ended romance with Kathleen Turner after wife’s Mexico visit

Douglas revealed that things at home with his wife, Diandra, were already in a "bad place" at the time of the affair. He wrote, "Diandra and I were both having extramarital affairs, including my recent romance with Diane Thomas (Romancing the Stone’s screenwriter)."

However, their secret romance was eventually disrupted when his wife and son visited the set in Mexico. Douglas recalled, "The magic spell of the set was broken when Diandra brought Cameron down to Mexico. I was so happy to have my son there, but their arrival created another problem. While Bob and Danny had no clue about my affair with Kathleen, Diandra grew suspicious."

He added, "A woman’s intuition, I suppose. 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."

Douglas explained that his son Cameron also played a major role in his decision to end things with Turner. He wrote, "Even though Diandra and I were having major problems in our relationship, we had our own son to think about."

He shared, "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."