Business & Finance Club - Celebrities : During the long, warm weeks of spring in New York, Michael Douglas suddenly began to look his age. Going to court with his troubled son Cameron, who was on trial for drug dealing, it was obvious that the actor had lost weight. He appeared grey-faced and fatigued.

And as summer advanced, Douglas looked frailer and more tired while his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, showed signs of being under terrific strain, too.

The actors who appeared with Zeta-Jones on Broadway in the production of A Little Night Music observed that, towards the end of the run in July, she was having trouble recalling her lines. At one point, the 40-year-old even seemed to be slurring her words.

At the time, observers put this down to Cameron eventually being sentenced to five years in prison. But now we know the full story of why her husband looked so unwell and why her behaviour was so erratic.

It seems that Douglas discovered some weeks ago that his hoarse voice and the trouble he had in swallowing indicated serious trouble. The actor, who is 65 and was a smoker for decades, has a tumour in his throat. Following investigations, an eight-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy has been settled on.

This ‘synchronous' therapy is expected to be conducted in New York and reports indicate it is due to start this week. Its aim is to allow doctors to at least try not to conduct surgery on his larynx.

It is, brutally, his best chance of keeping his voice, given that he seems to have a locally advanced cancerous growth. The alternative would be surgery — and a partial or complete laryngectomy.

Douglas' camp has let it be known that his doctors think that, although the situation is frightening, he will make a full recovery. Douglas himself released a statement to People Magazine saying: "I am very optimistic."

So how much of a surprise is the illness to Douglas? How will he be fighting it? And how will his nervily devoted and much younger wife cope with this blow?

Poor health

Perhaps the first thing to note is that Douglas has not enjoyed perfect health for some years. He had benign lesions removed from his face around five years ago and has generally been feeling the creeping effects of age. A friend of the couple told me earlier this year: "Michael has gotten to be a bit of an old curmudgeon."

There was talk of his "moods" making life difficult for his wife.

Whether or not this was true, it has to be said that Michael Douglas was then not only deeply saddened by his son's troubles, he was also contending with physical pains which might make anyone tetchy.

In spring last year, he had his knee replaced: an unpleasant operation which he endured under local epidural. His father Kirk, a spry 93-year-old, was unimpressed. The younger Douglas humorously revealed his father's lack of sympathy, saying: "After this fairly serious operation, I go and see him and he says: ‘You know, when I had my double knee replacement I was 88!'"

It is true that, all joking aside, he has a wonderful example of longevity in his father, whom he described in a recent interview as a "very intense, talented survivalist". His problems with his son Cameron have made him reassess his life. It's been painful for him to see his son fall so far.

The illness, though, is without doubt a terrible shock. But Douglas, who has a fortune of $150 million (Dh550.9 million) and five properties around the globe, was very much in the risk category for this kind of cancer because of his smoking.

The treatment will be challenging. Douglas is likely to be left with sores in his mouth which may make swallowing difficult, and he could lose his ability to speak.

But with the support of his wife, and with the encouraging example of his almost-indestructible father, fans will be praying he makes a speedy recovery.