Before George Clooney met Amal Alamuddin, he was happy to remain single for the rest of his life – and the human rights lawyer felt the exact same way.
"I was 35 when I met him. It wasn't obvious that it was going to happen for me," Amal, 44, told Vogue in 2018 of meeting 'The One'. "And I wasn't willing or excited about the idea of getting married or having a family in the absence of that."
But fate had other plans, and she and the 61-year-old actor hit it off straight away after meeting at a charity dinner in 2013 – and now George has revealed new details about their first meeting, and the sweet gesture he made to Amal that has carried on through their decade together.
Watch the video above.
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July, 2013: George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin meet through a mutual friend during a charity dinner at his vacation home in Lake Como, Italy.
"I thought she was beautiful, and I thought she was funny and obviously smart," the actor later told The Hollywood Reporter.
But while his first impression of Amal was positive, he was certain the 17-year age gap put her off, joking to THR in 2017 that "[she] probably thought I was old."
Also at the event were George's parents, Nick and Nina Clooney, who realised the pair have something special.
"[My wife] Nina and I were actually the ones who answered the door when Amal came in. She introduced herself to us and we talked. She was obviously very charming, gorgeous and so clearly accomplished, but by the time we had supper that night, it was clear there was a kindness to her and an inclusiveness," Nick later told People magazine.
"I really think by the time that first [meeting] was over, his and her fates were sealed, both of them. She was so remarkable and he was so remarkable around her."
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Speaking on The Drew Barrymore Show in October 2022, George revealed new details about that first meeting – and how it wasn't really by chance.
"Well, it's funny she came to the house in Como with a friend of hers to visit and immediately I was like…" he began.
"The funniest thing is Bryan Lourd, my agent, called me, he had just met Amal at some other thing and she was like, 'Yeah I am going to go to Como with a friend of mine,' and he called me up and he said, 'There's a girl coming to your house that you are going to marry,'" George told Drew Barrymore.
George recalled how he was not convinced in the aftermath of his call with Lourd, telling his agent, "You're an idiot. You know that's not going to happen."
But then he met Amal, and George said the future couple "stayed up all night talking" and he started "writing her a bunch of letters" – which he said they still do, and leave the letters for each other on their pillows.
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August 2013: Weeks after meeting, the pair begin to chat over text messages and emails before they saw each other again in person.
"She sent some pictures from when she was here, and we were writing each other, emailing, talking, mostly about what was going on in each other's lives," George told THR. "And over a period of time it became clear we were more than just friends."
October 2013: With their growing feelings for one another, George and Amal decided to meet up for their first date in London, where Amal lived. Although they kept their meeting on the downlow, photographers discovered their whereabouts and news quickly spread that George has a girlfriend.
"That was a good first date," he recalled. "We went for dinner. She 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."
February 2014: After spending Christmas together in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, the couple again jetted to Kenya for a safari.
"Amal loves giraffes, they're her favourite animal. She went to this place called Giraffe Manor, where the giraffes stick their heads through the windows and kiss you," he told THR.
It is after this trip that George was certain he wanted to marry Amal, telling fellow actor Ben Weiss, "I think I'm going to ask her to marry me."
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April 2014: George proposed to Amal over a romantic dinner. When it came time to lighting the candles, the actor asked the lawyer to grab a lighter from the drawer, but instead she found an engagement ring.
Things go downhill from there, as George later told Ellen DeGeneres.
"I blew out the candle, and I said to her, 'I think the lighter is in the box behind you.' So she turns around, pulls out the box – I've got the ring in there – she pulls it out, looks at it and says, 'It's a ring.'"
Amal could not believe what was happening and took a good 25 minutes to give George an answer to his proposal.
"I eventually said, 'I need an answer, I'm 52, I'm going to pop a hip'," recalled the actor of being on bent on one knee the entire time.
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September 27, 2014: George and Amal married at the Aman Canal Grande luxury hotel in Venice, Italy, among a string of celebrity guests, including Matt Damon, Cindy Crawford and Emily Blunt. The couple exchanged vows beneath an archway of white roses at the plush hotel.
The happy couple made their union official the very next day with a civil ceremony at Venice's town hall, where Amal is seen wearing a cream jumpsuit and matching hat by Stella McCartney.
January 2015: George was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 72nd Annual Golden Globes, where he gushed about his new wife.
"It's a humbling thing when you find someone to love. Even better if you've been waiting your whole life. And when your whole life is 53 years…" he began. "Amal, whatever alchemy it is that brought us together, I couldn't be more proud to be your husband."
May 2015: The lovebirds attended their first Met Gala together – and they did not disappoint.
Amal – who was quickly becoming a fashion icon – wore a red gown by John Galliano to the event, which was themed China: Through The Looking Glass, while George sported a black Armani tux.
"Since the day I met her, she's always had this insanely... it's eccentric, but it's fun, [her] sense of fashion," he later told Entertainment Tonight. "It has been sort of fascinating to watch because she has such great taste."
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February 2016: George and Amal met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the plight of refugees in Europe. The power couple then headed to a refugee shelter in Berlin to talk with those affected by the Syrian crisis.
During their trip, they also attended the premiere of George's movie, Hail, Caesar!, at the Berlin International Film Festival, proving they are supportive of each other's careers.
February 2017: The couple announced Amal was pregnant with twins.
George later told THR that they conceived naturally without any fertility treatments.
"[The doctor] goes, 'Well, there's one.' And I said, 'Great.' And then he goes, 'And there's the second one.' And I was like, 'What?'" he recalled. "We just sat there, staring at that piece of paper they give you, and I kept thinking there was a mistake."
Later that month, Amal debuted her bump at the César Film Awards in Paris, wearing a feathered white gown by Atelier Versace.
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June 2017: The couple welcomed twins Alexander and Ella on June 6, releasing a statement to People magazine.
"This morning Amal and George welcomed Ella and Alexander Clooney into their lives," read the statement. "Ella, Alexander, and Amal are all healthy, happy, and doing fine. George is sedated and should recover in a few days."
September 2017: The new parents made their first appearance after the birth of their twins at the Venice Film Festival, where George says Amal is a natural at parenting.
"All they want to do is eat, so I have nothing to give them except a bottle once in a while and they're happy about that, but it's mostly Amal for them at the moment. I don't even really understand what's going on," he told the Daily Mail.
"And I have such admiration for my wife because she's breastfeeding them and getting about two hours of sleep per interval, and the love they have for her is a sight to see and it's beautiful."
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May 2018: The stunning pair attended the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Two months after the nuptials, George and Amal invited the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex to their Lake Como villa, flying the royals over in George's private jet.
June 2018: George was honoured at the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute, where he was given the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award. But it was Amal's speech that deserves all of the accolades.
"I met George when I was 35 and was starting to become quite resigned to the idea that I was going to be a spinster," says Amal, before presenting her husband with the award. "Then we met and started hiding out in my London flat and very soon it felt like no matter what happened, I would never want to be with anyone else."
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"I couldn't sleep when we were apart, and I was told that I would display a particular grin or head tilt when reading his text messages or the letters he would hide in my bag," she told the audience. "Five years later none of that has changed. He is the person who has my complete admiration and also the person whose smile makes me melt every time.
"My love, what I have found with you is the great love that I've always hoped existed, and seeing you with our children, Ella and Alexander, is the greatest joy in my life."
September 2019: The couple celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary at 4 Charles Prime Rib restaurant in New York, with longtime friends Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber helping them celebrate the milestone occasion.
The following day, however, George and Amal spent the day together on their own, out and about in New York.
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Title: George Clooney and Amal Clooney's complete relationship timeline
Sourced From: celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/george-clooney-amal-clooney-relationship-timeline/1311ab83-9723-4c29-9e9b-d44afcd9a452
Published Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2022 00:10:00 GMT
