A representative for Douglas clarifies reports suggesting that oral sex contributed to the actor's throat cancer.
- Jun 4, 2013
AceShowbiz - Michael Douglas recently talked about his battle with throat cancer which he suffered in 2010. His statement about the cause of the disease became a hot topic on the internet. However, a representative for the "Behind the Candelabra" actor, Allen Burry, said that the widely reported info was incorrect.
"Michael Douglas did not say cunnilingus was the cause of his cancer. It was discussed that oral sex is a suspected cause of certain oral cancers as doctor's in the article point out but he did not say it was the specific cause of his personal cancer," Burry told USA Today.
"In a discussion with the newspaper, they talked about the causes of oral cancer, one of which was oral sex, which is noted and has been known for a while now," the representative said to Associated Press. "He wants to make it very clear he never said that was the particular cause of his particular cancer," he added in New York Daily News.
Douglas, who got married to Catherine Zeta-Jones in 2000, successfully battled the 4-scale cancer on the base of his tongue with extensive chemotherapy. When U.K. news outlet the Guardian asked if he regretted his drinking and smoking habit, which are known as causes of the cancer, the actor replied, "No. Because without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV (Human Papillomavirus), which actually comes about from cunnilingus."
The actor was also quoted as saying, "I did worry if the stress caused by my son's incarceration didn't help trigger it. But yeah, it's a sexually transmitted disease that causes cancer."
The Guardian issued a statement following the clarification by Douglas' representative. "The Guardian firmly denies this charge of misrepresentation. Mr Burry was not present at the Guardian's interview with Michael Douglas; the only two people present were Mr Douglas and the Guardian writer, Xan Brooks," the statement read. The site also provided an audio and a verbatim transcript of the interview.
