Douglas's Memoir Revelation
In his newly released memoir, One Helluva Ride, 82-year-old Michael Douglas admits to a covert romance with Kathleen Turner during the Mexico shoot of the 1984 film Romancing the Stone. An excerpt shared by People reveals Douglas confessing he fell hard for Turner, often slipping into her room once the cast had gone to sleep after grueling days of filming. He praised her as intelligent, amusing, and alluring, noting her distinctive low, husky voice. Douglas was separated at the time from Diandra Luker, his first wife and mother of his son Cameron.[S1][S3]
Douglas recounted that he and Turner concealed their relationship from everyone, even co-star Danny DeVito and director Robert Zemeckis. He described his home life as troubled, with both him and Diandra engaging in affairs. He arrived in Mexico still legally married but separated. The affair ended when Diandra visited the set with their son; Douglas believed she grew suspicious due to intuition. During that visit, Luker reminded Turner that Douglas remained married, and Turner chose not to interfere. Afterward, Douglas and Turner broke things off, and he returned to Diandra. He said he did so for Cameron, but they should never have reconciled, and after that initial separation, their relationship was never the same. They divorced in 2000.[S1]
Turner's Amused Response
Following the media frenzy over Douglas's admission on Friday, Kathleen Turner issued a statement to People expressing bewilderment at the attention given to something from 40 years ago. She said she loves Michael and anticipates enjoying the book. Turner and Douglas collaborated on multiple projects after Romancing the Stone but consistently denied any romantic involvement. In a 2023 Guardian interview, Turner suggested they might have been falling in love, but Diandra's visit made clear that Michael was not available. Turner said that ended things because she cannot get involved with another woman's relationship, though she found the attention delicious. Asked how close she came to dating Douglas, Turner replied it was none of the interviewer's business. Douglas wrote that he sought Turner's permission to include their romance in his book.[S1][S2]
