'People today are quick to throw in the towel on marriage'

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones says she and her husband Michael Douglas were always prepared to put in hard work during the rocky moments in their 15 year long marriage life. She feels grateful that they persevered.

"It was great. Just the two of us at one of our favourite restaurants, laughing that we haven't killed each other yet - and that we are still alive! Fifteen years is a long time. You've got to keep the home fires burning," Zeta-Jones told the March issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, reflected on celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary last November, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"It's a long road and I think people today are so quick to throw in the towel on marriage. You have to give it your best shot and not give up when the first problem arises, because that won't be the last problem. There will be many more down the road," Zeta-Jones, 46, said.

The pair had a rough few years which saw Douglas, 71, fighting throat cancer and Zeta-Jones being diagnosed with bipolar II disorder.

Reflecting on the tough times, she said: "We tried to keep it as private as possible, but because of what we do, it's very hard. I didn't talk to other people about it enough. That's one thing I would do more of.

"Our children asking 'Is daddy going to die?' was really hard. It was an experience that I am so happy is in our rear-view mirror," she said.