Photo: AP

After Michael won his battle with cancer, his wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, checked in to a mental health facility and sought treatment for bipolar II disorder. "It used to generally be called manic depressive," Michael says. "You have periods of mania or flying high and hyperactivity and euphoria and this and that and bouts of depression. Bipolar II is supposedly not as bad with the mania but still pretty heavy with the depression."

Michael says cancer can be difficult for patients and their spouses to contend with. This is especially true for Michael and Catherine. "I said, 'I've got my oldest son in federal prison. My ex-wife is suing me, and I've got cancer.' It's kind of hard for the wife to say, 'I'm depressed,'" he says. "I think that probably played a big part of it. She's got to be stoic and deal with all the stuff that I'm going through."

Now that Catherine has found balance, Michael says she's doing great. "I think she's relieved that she has a better understanding [of the disorder]," Michael says. "I'm so proud of her for kind of analyzing, taking care of it and getting some help."

 Currently, Michael says, Catherine is filming a new movie in New Orleans.