It was a special night for George Clooney, who was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Film Institute at the Los Angeles' Dolby Theater on Thursday. But the Hollywood star's biggest moment was when his wife Amal Clooney took to the stage to deliver a heartfelt speech, moving him to tears. "It's somehow easier for me to address a court on behalf a detainee, than to speak publicly as I am doing for the first time tonight about my husband," the human right lawyer told the audience. "I do so out of immense pride of all he has achieved."
© Photo: Getty ImagesGeorge Clooney was moved by his wife Amal's touching speech
The couple, who welcomed their twin babies Ella and Alexander in June last year, were certainly the centre of attention on the night, which drew in the likes of Julia Roberts, Cindy Crawford and Cate Blanchett. Praising her husband's efforts, Amal added: "Here are a few things you may not know about [George]. First, he is a gentleman. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word and in a way that seems so rare these days and perhaps even outdated. Everyone who knows him, even those who oppose him politically or who have quarrelled with him professionally, will tell you, he has not forgotten his Kentucky manners. On every sense I visit, I'm told by crew that George sticks up for the most vulnerable."
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She continued: "These attributes also make him an amazing husband and father. I met George when I was 35 and starting to become quite resigned to the idea that I was going to be a spinster. 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." Delving into their relationship, Amal went on to say: "I couldn’t sleep when we were apart and I’m told that I would display a particular grin and head-tilt when reading his text messages or the letters he would hide in my bag." George, 57, and Amal, 40, who reportedly met through mutual friends in 2013, tied the knot in a lavish, star-studded wedding in Italy on 27 September 2014.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesThe A-list couple got married in 2014
"Five years later, none of that has changed," added Amal. "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 I always hoped existed. And seeing you with our children, Ella and Alexander, is the greatest joy in my life." About their children, Oxford University-educated Amal concluded: "You fill our home with laughter and happiness and that’s even before the children have worked out that ‘da-da’ is Batman, a talking fox, and friends with Mary Poppins. I'm so proud of you my love. Congratulations on this great honour that you're receiving tonight. I'm proud of you, but I also know that when our children find out not only what you have done, but who you are, they will be so proud of you too."
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