Michael Douglas Reveals 40-Pound Weight Loss During Stage Four Cancer Battle in New Memoir

Michael Douglas is opening up like never before. In his new memoir,“One Helluva Ride,”the Oscar-winning actor reveals he lost 40 pounds during his stage four throat cancer battle, weight he says he“didn’t really have to lose.”Diagnosed in August 2010, Douglas went through seven weeks of radiation and chemo, a stretch he compares to“the seven circles of hell.”

The book doesn’t shy away from the hard parts. Douglas writes about being“sallow and gaunt,”about the pain becoming unmanageable by week three, and about the traumatic headlines his family faced while he was fighting for his life. But there are moments of light too. His father, the late Kirk Douglas, showed up at the hospital on Halloween dressed as a clown. His wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, said watching him recover was like watching a wilted flower come back to life.

Douglas’s cancer went into remission, and he calls the experience a rebirth. It changed his priorities and taught him what family really means. It’s a candid look at survival from a man who’s spent decades in the spotlight.

Have you ever watched a loved one fight through a health crisis? What helped your family get through it?