Celebrity News

published : 2023-12-10

George Clooney's London date night with wife Amal: How she tamed Hollywood's ultimate bachelor

The 'Ocean's 11' star and human rights lawyer met in 2013 and married a year later

George Clooney and Amal Clooney walking the red carpet at the U.K. premiere of 'Boys in the Boat', taken with a Nikon D850

George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney braved the rain on the red carpet at the U.K. premiere of his new movie, 'Boys in the Boat.'

Clooney was chivalrous, holding an umbrella over Amal and himself to stay dry, and he looked happy doing so.

Amal wore a black velvet gown with her hair down, while Clooney sported a dark suit and crisp white shirt.

They were all smiles despite the weather, enjoying the latest outing in their decade-long love story.

George Clooney held an umbrella on the red carpet at the London premiere of his new film, 'Boys in the Boat.'

The 'Ocean’s 11' star and the international human rights lawyer met in 2013, introduced by a mutual friend at his home in Italy.

Clooney detailed their first meeting on 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman' in 2018.

"It's the wildest thing. A mutual friend of ours said, 'I'm stopping by and can I bring my friend?' And I was like, 'Of course.' I got a call from my agent who called me and said, 'I met this woman who's coming to your house who you're gonna marry.' The funniest thing was my mom and dad were visiting, so my parents were there, and we just talked, and we stayed up all night talking," he said.

Soon they were exchanging emails, but Clooney, who seemed like he’d be a permanent bachelor, 'didn’t know if she wanted to go out with me. I just thought we were buddies.'

Amal Clooney looking stunning in a black velvet gown at the London premiere, taken with a Canon EOS R5

Their first official date was in London in October 2013, which Clooney later told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 'was a good first date.'

"We went for dinner," he recalled. "[Amal] said, ‘Let’s go to this place.’ It was one of those places that was incredibly hip and chic. And when we came out, there were 50 paparazzi there. But she handled it like a champ.

"Pretty quickly, things escalated once I was in London."

Clooney proposed to Amal in April 2014, although, according to the two-time Oscar winner, it was 'a disaster.'

As he explained on 'The Drew Barrymore Show' in 2022, he set the scene and hid the ring in a drawer near where they were going to have dinner and convinced her to open it to find the ring as he got down on one knee.

Amal said yes, and the couple married in September 2014 in Venice, Italy.

Three years later, in 2017, the Clooneys welcomed twins Alexander and Ella. In a statement at the time, they said, 'This morning Amal and George welcomed Ella and Alexander George into their lives. Ella, Alexander and Amal are all healthy, happy and doing fine. George is sedated and should recover in a few days.'

Ahead of the twins’ first birthday, Amal opened up about their relationship in a 2018 interview with Vogue.

"It felt like the most natural thing in the world," she said. "Before that experience, I always hoped there could be love that was overwhelming and didn't require any weighing or decision-making. It's the one thing in life that I think is the biggest determinant of happiness, and it's the thing you have the least control over."

George Clooney proposing to Amal Clooney in Venice, Italy, taken with a Sony A7 III

"Are you going to meet this person? I was 35 when I met him. It wasn't obvious that it was going to happen for me. And I wasn't willing or excited about the idea of getting married or having a family in the absence of that."

George continued throughout the years to praise the change Amal made in his life.

In a 2020 interview with GQ, he said he thought his life had been complete, but he realized he was wrong after meeting her.

"I'm gonna work, I've got great friends, my life is full, I'm doing well. And I didn't know how un-full it was until I met Amal. And then everything changed. And I was like, 'Oh, actually, this has been a huge empty space,’" he shared.

The Clooneys are closing in on ten years of marriage together next year and continue to clearly enjoy their time and work together.

In August, they were practically glowing together at Diane Von Furstenberg’s 14th Annual DVF Awards, where Amal was honored.

According to People, Amal thanked her husband in her acceptance speech, saying, 'Venice is the place where almost nine years ago we were married. I just wanted to say, you, my love, like this city, take my breath away, and you make our lives magical. It is sometimes hard to believe you exist, so thank you for being the brightest light in my life.'

A month later, the couple hosted the second annual Albies, an honor presented by their charity, The Clooney Foundation.

As Clooney told The New York Times, 'She does all the heavy lifting and the law-degree work, and I try to make it loud. I think it's kind of a good team effort.'