Catherine Zeta-Jones’ daughter says Hollywood family eat chips from village takeaway when in Wales

Carys Douglas has given a fascinating glimpse inside the family’s trips to Mumbles

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Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas’ daughter Carys has been opening up about her Welsh summers to high-end magazine, Vogue. It’s been well-documentated that Carys and her brother, Dylan, spent most summers in their mother’s native Mumbles during their childhoods and it seems that their time here certainly made an impact on New Yorker Carys.

In the interview Carys reveals her love of Welsh beaches, ice cream parlours and her nana’s Welsh cakes. The Brown University graduate is the youngest child of Swansea Oscar-winner, Zeta-Jones and double Oscar-winner Douglas who’s best known for roles in Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct and, for younger audiences, Marvel’s Ant-Man.

Picking out some of her top spots Carys said: “My family’s from the Mumbles, so it has to be Johnnies Fish & Chips. Then Joe’s Ice Cream – no one knows the secret recipe, but the secrecy is what makes it so good.”

Joe’s Ice Cream is one of Swansea’s most successful exports, with a secret vanilla recipe held by the family since its creation in WWII, it has five parlours between Llanelli and Cardiff. Read more on Joe’s story here.

Her love of proper Welsh grub doesn’t stop there, but her other favourites come from her grandmother, Patricia’s kitchen. “My nana makes the best Sunday roast and Welsh cakes.” Going on to explain to the high-end mag what they are, Carys did a half-decent job because we all know Welsh cakes are a one-off.

“They’re a bit like squashed scones but they are amazing in their own right.” For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter.

Are you a Joe’s or a Verdi’s fan – Carys Douglas has put her flag on Joe’s!(Image: Joe’s Ice Cream)

Aside of family traditions around food Carys is a huge fan of the Welsh landscape around her family’s home, especially the beaches.

“Those beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world,” she said in the fashion bible. “It’s not tropical white sand – it’s more mystical, more dramatic. I feel so lucky that this is where I’m from.

“The Gower Peninsula is breathtaking. Langland and Caswell beaches are electric in summer and covered with picturesque houses. For dramatic landscapes, Worm’s Head is so romantic – but watch the tides – and Three Cliffs Bay is also stunning.”

Earlier this summer Carys shared a number of images from her 2025 trip to Wales including a photo of one of the Gower ponies at Rhossili, the Welsh flag, and a selfie with her grandmother.

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Revealing that she catches the train down to Swansea from London and listens to music that reminds her of her grandparents. “I find the train ride from London to Wales very reflective. I always listen to music and thinking about everything.”

The recent university graduate also tipped readers to visit the Swansea Grant and Dylan Thomas theatres as well as take a trip down to Laugharne to visit the Welsh writer’s – who Cary’s older brother Dylan is named after – famous boathouse. A fans ot lovespoons the 22-year-old said that she often gives them to her friends as a special keepsake.

Back in 2019, when she revcieved the Freedom of Swansea, Wednesday star Catherine first told that she and husband Michael have always sent their children to Wales for two weeks every summer.

Catherine said: “My children have been coming back to Swansea all their life. Usually for two weeks without Michael and I and they have nana and bampi’s rules which means no rules.

“It used to take us about two weeks to get them back on track but what it’s done is it’s instilled in our children their sense of belonging and where they come from.

“They’d be up at the crack of dawn down the beach, come rain or shine, digging and making castles so it was important for me that they have roots and know where they come from.

“It’s very grounding for the kids and they often love coming here and they come back every year to Wales.”

You can read Carys’ full interview with Vogue in the November issue, out now.