Catherine Zeta-Jones says people are “too quick to throw in the towel” when relationships get tough.

The 46-year-old actress briefly split from her husband Michael Douglas, 71, in 2014 but the couple reconciled and recently celebrated 15 years of marriage with Catherine insisting that some people are “too quick to throw in the towel”.

She told Good Housekeeping magazine: “You’ve got to keep the home fires burning. It’s a long road and I think people today are so quick to throw in the towel.

“You have to give it your best shot and not give up when the first problem arises.”

Revealing how they celebrated their anniversary, Catherine said: “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’re still alive! Fifteen years is a long time.”

The couple also endured a tough time when Michael battled cancer in 2010 and Catherine admitted it took a huge toll on them and their children, son Dylan, 15 and daughter Carys, 12.

She said: “We tried to keep it as private as possible, but it’s very hard. I didn’t talk to other people about it enough. That’s one thing I’d do more of.

“Our children asking, ‘Is Daddy going to die?’ was really hard. It was an experience that I’m so happy is in our rear-view mirror.”