It should have been Catherine Zeta-Jones’ moment of glory. But at a New York press luncheon last week to celebrate her Tony Awards nomination for her role in hit musical A Little Night Music, the actress was the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons.
The voluptuous star of old was nowhere to be seen, and Catherine’s uncharacteristically gaunt face and scarily skinny frame had colleagues worried that her relentless work schedule and the emotional trauma of recent months are threatening to overwhelm her.
Catherine is being heavily criticised for her new figure.
The New York Daily News last week slammed the 40-year-old star for her “knobby knees and thin, shapeless calves”.
“Her legs were so thin, everyone was staring,” said one observer. “She didn’t look much like the Catherine we all remember.”
As well as the emotional stress of seeing her husband Michael Douglas’s son Cameron jailed for drug offences, Catherine is nearing the end of an exhausting six-month stint singing and dancing on Broadway eight times a week.
The star’s figure has long been the subject of controversy. Her weight plunged noticeably in 2007, forcing her to deny suggestions she may be anorexic.
For the full story see this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale May 10, 2010.