Remember back in 2013 when Michael Douglas essentially told the world that his oral cancer may have been caused by performing oral sex on his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones? He does too, and now he’s expressing regret over the negative public response his lady received for his careless remarks.
The turmoil began when Douglas told UK’s Guardian two years ago, around the same time that couple briefly separated over a rough patch, that his cancer was caused by contracting human papillomavirus (HPV). According to Planned Parenthood, HPV can be spread by by skin-to-skin contact, especially oral, anal or vaginal sex. . While HPV is extremely common, some high-risk strains of the virus can lead to cell mutations that cause cancers of the cervix, anus, vulva, vagina, penis or throat. (All the more reason to get the HPV vaccine!)
Not surprisingly, people took Douglas’ comments to mean he contracted the HPV from performing oral sex on Zeta-Jones. And while Douglas later clarified that he’d been exposed to the virus before meeting Zeta-Jones, it was too late. Both of them had already been hit with an onslaught of (undeserved) shaming by both the press and fans.
