Formerly known as a committed bachelor, George Clooney fell hard for human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin after meeting in Italy.
George and Amal did not discuss starting a family during their short courtship, but they have an excellent reason for doing so after they wed.
Amal was spotted in Europe lending her voice to an important cause – sharing her insights as a lawyer and mother.
Save for a short-lived marriage to actress Talia Balsam in his youth, George Clooney was the poster boy for the eternal bachelor in Hollywood.
The tabloid reporters sold millions of copies of their rags, reporting on his relationships with models and one notable fling with a professional wrestler.
All that changed when he met Amal Alamuddin, a human rights activist 17 years his junior, in Lake Como, Italy, in July 2013.
The Academy Award-winning actor thought the British legal mind was beautiful, funny, and intelligent but suspected she might consider him “too old” for her.
The duo formed a pen pal-type correspondence over email, mostly sharing details about their lives. George told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2017 profile, “Over a period of time, it became clear we were more than just friends.”
Their first date was at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, where he worked on the “Monuments Men” score. Paparazzi swamped their dinner afterward, but she “handled it like a champ,” the Hollywood actor recounted proudly.
The relationship picked up quickly, with the pair spending Christmas in Cabo San Lucas and going for a safari in Kenya, where they spent time at Giraffe Manor. It was sentimental, too, as Amal’s favorite animal is a giraffe.
The “ER” actor showed a friend a photo of the lawyer with the giraffes in February 2014 and declared, “I think I’m going to ask her to marry me,” and promptly began to plan the engagement.
On the evening of April 28, 2014, George cooked Amal “pasta of some form” on her visit to the US. Over champagne, he popped the question with a specially curated playlist of his late aunt Rosemary Clooney’s songs playing in the background. He recounted:
“And she just kept staring at the ring, going, ‘Oh, my God.’ It was 20 minutes of me on my knee, waiting for her to say yes because she was so shocked.”
The only doubt George had about his paramour’s delayed response was that she might have thought “it was too soon.” They had only been dating for six months.
He did not question that they were the “right team” and were happy together from the start. The star mused, “I’m sorry I was 50-something when it happened, but only because I could have spent even more time with her.”
Only after their Venice wedding in September 2014 with 100 of their closest friends and family did the newlyweds discuss the prospect of having children. George described their mindsets:
“…after the wedding, Amal and I were talking, and we just felt we’d gotten very lucky, both of us, and we should share whatever good luck we’ve got. It would seem self-centered to just have that belong to us.”
How Did George and Amal Surprisingly Welcome Twins?
Not long after their nuptials, a London doctor confirmed that the couple was pregnant – with twins. The first-time mother in her late thirties conceived naturally without fertility treatments. Her husband, also a first-time parent, confirmed.
In the early hours of June 6, 2017, Amal gave birth to Alexander Clooney and Ella Clooney. The twins were born within two minutes of each other between 12:54 p.m. and 12:56 p.m. in St. Mary’s Hospital in London.
In a profile barely three months after the birth of their twins, George admitted that he and Amal were both “unrested,” she more so than he. “But,” he said:
“I’m a very good diaper guy, which I didn’t know I would be.”
Amal Clooney Makes a Rare Speech as a Mother of 6-Year-Old Twins
The private couple gave a sporadic update on their six-year-olds after the Kennedy Center Honors recognized George in Washington. On whether the kids think their dad is the “coolest dad on earth,” Amal answered in the affirmative, adding:
“They think Papa can fix everything except the weather. […] And the funniest person they have met.”
On June 22, 2023, the high-powered lawyer lent her star power to the We Choose Earth Mundial Conference in Madrid, Spain. The event aims to bring together discerning individuals to spark change to a more sustainable future. She said:
“As a mother of six-year-old twins, I am so grateful to all of those people who make it their mission to create a planet that is safe and healthy for future generations.”
Amal went on to explain how in her capacity as a human rights lawyer, her mission is focused on a related issue, “What kind of earth do we want to live in, and how should we treat the people on our planet. But of course,” she added:
“These goals are intertwined.
Amal Clooney wore her flowing brunette locks loosely parted at the side, with a one-shouldered yellow Saturn jumpsuit with metallic pumps. On the streets of Madrid, she was photographed holding a tiny black leather handbag.
Her husband, George, was not present at the event as he is producing “Wolves,” a film by director Jon Watts, with his friend and longtime collaborator Brad Pitt stateside.
The power couple has been involved in many worthy causes individually and together over the years. Just last month, the two attended The Prince’s Trust Awards in London.
George has donated a sizable portion of the $200 million windfall he made selling his stake in the tequila company Casamigos Tequila, which he co-founded with Mike Meldman and Rande Gerber.
According to a 2017 entertainment report, the Clooneys bestowed a $1 million grant to the Southern Poverty Law Center that year.
The charitable pair pledged to put $20 million from the sale of Casamigos Tequila into their foundation. The money was earmarked for education and refugee housing, amongst other projects.