Catherine Zeta-Jones gave her husband the surprise of his life and was scared it almost ended his life.

During a recent appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," Zeta-Jones explained Douglas has been in France filming a new project "for what seems like a lifetime" and how she came together with her children to surprise him for the holidays. She called the surprise, "one of those great, great, great moments."

"The kids and I actually surprised him for Thanksgiving. He had no idea. Carys, my daughter, flew in from the East Coast. I was here with my son, we flew from here, got into the hotel, under the cover of night," Zeta-Jones explained. "He came home from work and there we were. It was one of those, I thought he was going to have a heart attack for a minute. He kind of stumbled back and went, 'Oh my God,’ and started crying. It was one of those great, great, great moments."

Zeta-Jones, 53, and Douglas, 78, have been married 22 years after meeting for the first time in 1998. 

Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas at Emmys

Zeta-Jones and Douglas have a 25-year age gap, but that has never been a problem for them in their relationship. (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES SAYS MICHAEL DOUGLAS 'IS THE BETTER GIVER' AFTER 22 YEARS OF MARRIAGE

"My husband is 25 years older than me; that’s not a secret," the actress told The Wall Street Journal in April 2021. "With any relationship, it wouldn’t be normal if there weren’t any ups and downs. The constant is love, is respect. We’ve never, ever lost our sense of humor, and we enjoy each other’s company."

In August 2013, Zeta-Jones and Douglas announced their separation.

The separation lasted eight months, and the couple reunited in April 2014. At the time, Douglas said, "I’m crazy about her. And, yeah, I think every couple has their difficult times." 

Zeta-Jones looked to her parents' marriage as a "blueprint" on what a successful marriage looks like, saying she realized it's important to be open and honest with your partner.

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones at SAG Awards

Zeta-Jones looks to her parents' marriage as a blueprint for what a successful marriage is supposed to look like. (Dan MacMedan/Getty Images)

"I think it’s just unfathomable to me that you would be with one person for 18 years, and things are not rosy every day. They’re just not," she told the "Today Show" in 2017. "My mother and father were married for 52 years, and they were a wonderful blueprint for me, because I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly with them, and they’re still going strong."

The "Wednesday" actress recently revealed to the "Good Morning America" hosts who, out of the two of them, is better at gift giving. She had no problem admitting Douglas would take home that prize, joking she "peaked around year eight."

"If I'd known we'd be married so long, I would have held back on it. I wasn't envisioning a 22 year-er. This is Hollywood, man," she joked to Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan and George Stephanopoulos. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Zeta-Jones revealed her husband is great at picking out jewelry, saying that "is something I really do love and treasure" due to the "sentimental value, obviously."

Year eight in their marriage was the year Zeta-Jones thinks she gave the best gift — an old school hot rod.

Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas at Golden Globes

Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones attend the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Rainbow Room Feb. 28, 2021, in New York City.  (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Hollywood Foreign Press Association)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"A hot rod that he had the chance to call up — a 1930s coupe," she clarified before speaking to the camera. "I'm going to get it wrong Michael, I'm sorry. It looks like a little Bugsy Malone car. … It's really great. And then I peaked! It's been socks ever since."