Michael Douglas: Wife Catherine Zeta-Jones Was "Outed" For Bipolar Disorder

Michael Douglas sat down with Oprah Winfrey in an episode airing today, where he said that wife Catherine Zeta-Jones didn't reveal her struggle with bipolar disorder by choice, but rather she was "outed" by someone in her treatment facility.

“I must say, Catherine’s being quite open about it because she was outed, you know,” Michael told Oprah. “She went to go get some help and some other patient probably in there said, ‘Hey, you won’t believe who’s in here now.’ And, so, once that happens, I think she felt [it] best to kind of get out the story.”

And get it out she did. After spending five days in a treatment facility, Catherine's rep issued a statement earlier this month: "After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check into a mental health facility for a brief stay."

Michael defended his wife on the show, saying, "My son is in federal prison, my ex-wife is suing me. . .it's kind of hard for the wife to say that she's depressed."

But now that Michael is cancer-free, Catherine is focusing on her work. "She's great," Michael told Oprah. "She's shooting a movie down in Louisiana, and I think she's relieved she has a better understanding [of bipolar II]."

See what film role has been created just for Catherine ... after the jump.