George and Amal Clooney are one of showbiz's best-loved couples.
Not only are the starlet pair both highly esteemed in their careers - Amal as a respected human rights barrister and George as an Academy Award-winning actor - but they've been the picture of marital bliss for over a decade.
By Hollywood standards, the Clooneys' ten-year matrimony puts them in a bracket few of their peers find themselves.
© Getty ImagesGenerally speaking, there is a notion that famous couples rarely last through the pressures of fame while navigating keeping a romance alive.
However, George and Amal, among some others, are here to prove the contrary.
So what exactly is their secret to their long-lasting union?
George and Amal Clooney's family life is a 'divorce' buffer
The Ocean's 11 actor and the law professional married in 2014 in a beautiful ceremony in Venice, Italy, but their love story began two years earlier.
© Getty ImagesAfter being introduced by a mutual friend at a dinner party George was hosting at his breathtaking villa on Lake Como, he and Amal have been inseparable ever since...
© Getty ImagesMuch was discussed when news of their romance came to light, not only for their 16-year age-gap but also how two high-profile celebrities found each other arguably later in life.
Since crossing paths 13 years ago, the pair have expanded their family by welcoming fraternal twins in the summer of 2017, named Alexander and Ella.
Juggling raising two children with both George and Amal having high-pressure, public-facing jobs would naturally test any pair, and while the husband and wife largely keep their personal lives to themselves, it's evident they've handled it with aplomb.
© @dimitrishairHELLO! spoke with psychotherapist Charisse Cooke, who gave their take on the Clooneys' marriage and how their tight union as hands-on parents, and as individuals who have a huge amount of respect for one another, keeps their bond rock solid.
"Ultimately, it's not one [secret], but the combination of respect, shared values, emotional maturity and practical teamwork that keeps a relationship strong," the author of The Attachment Solution began.
"Their hands-on approach with their children shows a willingness to be present, involved and connected as a team. When couples parent proactively together, it creates a sense of unity and shared purpose, which is what long-term harmony is all about."
© Dave BenettClarisse, who is also a relationship expert at Flirtini dating app, adds that the Clooneys' positive qualities in their marriage put them in a positive stead to avoid conflict and, ultimately, unlike other couples, divorce.
"Most divorce happens when couples feel alone in the partnership, without a teammate or another adult stepping up to their responsibilities."
© Taylor HillThe famous partnership rarely gives interviews about their personal lives, instead choosing to keep their family life fiercely private.
In the few interviews Amal and George have given over the years, their strong bond is clear from their own supportive words for each other.
© David Fisher/ShutterstockMost recently, in an interview with the New York Times, the Hollywood heartthrob, 63, shared how finding the love of his life at a later stage has meant it's been nothing but "easy" for them.
"There's a thing about finding the person that you needed to find, particularly at a certain age, and everything from then on is easy," he said, adding that the pair don't sweat the small stuff in the same way they perhaps would in their younger years.
"We renovated our house. Amal would go, 'I want to paint this wall yellow.' Well, if I was 27 years old and doing construction work, I would've been like, 'Well, that's a stupid color.'
"But the truth of the matter is that at 60, you just go, 'OK.' There are so many things that would have caused friction that don't."
© AFP via Getty Images,GettyMeanwhile, Amal, 46, previously explained that the couple are natural homebodies and prefer a life away from the glare of the spotlight.
The mother-of-two previously told British Vogue: "We definitely do more things in our home to ensure privacy in a context where we can't otherwise get it."
It's something that Clarisse notes is undoubtedly a factor in keeping any relationship on the straight and narrow.
"Their emphasis on privacy, for instance, suggests a shared belief that some things are sacred, something many couples crave but struggle to maintain," she said.
"Is it a pressure to uphold that boundary, especially under a global spotlight? I'm sure. But it also creates a protective buffer around their relationship, giving them room to stay grounded and intimate amid the noise."
