Inside George Clooney's fairy tale romance with wife Amal Clooney

The couple wed in 2014

Content Writer

Updated: May 16, 2024May 16, 2024, 12:13 PM GMT+1

George and Amal Clooney's romance is akin to a heartwarming rom-com. Sparks started to fly after the two lovebirds met for the first time through a mutual friend whilst holidaying in Italy.

The duo continued their relationship via email for several months, before finally reuniting for a very special date in London. Their romance continued to blossom in the spotlight, with George eventually popping the question less than a year after meeting.

The team at HELLO! is taking a deep dive into the power couple's relationship timeline, exploring everything from their initial encounter to their incredibly private family life away from the spotlight. Keep scrolling to get all the details…

How did George fall for Amal?

Whilst the old adage 'love at first sight' might seem a tad archaic, George and Amal allegedly immediately fell head over heels in love. Back in 2018, the Gravity actor described the very first time he met his future wife in 2013.

Appearing on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, George revealed: "I got a call from my agent who said, 'I met this woman who is coming to your house, who you're going to marry.' It really worked out that way."

He went on to say: "The funniest thing was my mom and dad were visiting so my parents were there. And we just talked, we stayed up all night talking… And I got her email address, because she was going to send me some pictures of my parents. So we started writing. I didn't know if she wanted to go out with me — I just thought we were buddies."

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Amal evidently made a lasting impression on the star. During a candid chat on the 'SmartLess' podcast, George, 61, gushed: "The truth was I met this amazing woman, and she took my breath away. She was brilliant and funny and beautiful and kind. I was sort of swept off my feet."

WATCH: George and Amal Clooney's cutest moments

For their first date, George whisked Amal off to a lavish London restaurant for a romantic meal. By this point, however, their blossoming relationship was no longer a secret... Musing on their first date, George explained: "And when we came out, there were 50 paparazzi there. But she handled it like a champ."

Human Rights Lawyer Amal never predicted she’d be swept up in a whirlwind romance. Following their fairytale nuptials, the 45-year-old told Vogue: "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."

When did George propose?

George decided to pop the question after a romantic trip to Kenya. In an interview with Vogue, the Golden Globe Award-winning actor opened up about a key moment in his life.

On the subject of their safari getaway, he revealed: "Some giraffes walked up to her. They just came out of the blue. I took a picture of her, and she was smiling. I [later] said to my buddy Ben, 'You know, I think I should ask her to marry me.' And Ben said, 'I think that's a good idea.'"

And in an interview with Charlie Rose on CBS This Morning, George added: "I knew fairly quickly that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Amal. When I asked her, we had never talked about it. There wasn't like, 'Maybe we should get married.' I dropped it on her… I have someone… who I care about more than I've cared about anything, so it's really nice."

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George proposed to Amal with a giant sparkler, which is said to be an exquisite seven-carat diamond worth an estimated £450,000.

Speaking to Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen Show, the actor revealed that it took Amal 25 minutes to say "yes". "I plotted the whole thing out. I had the ring hidden behind her. I had music playing, my Aunt Rosemary's gonna sing 'Why Shouldn't I?' on a playlist. Everything was planned out," George explained.

After a romantic dinner, George strategically blew out a dinner candle, prompting Amal to fetch a nearby lighter. Describing the moment, he went on to say: "So she turns around, pulls out the box – I've got just the ring sitting in there – she pulls it out, looks at it and says 'It’s a ring'."

George got down on one knee and told Ellen: "Because there was a playlist, we now know how long it actually took, and it was like 25 minutes. He told Amal at the time: "' I hope the answer is yes, I need an answer because I'm 52 and I could throw out my hip pretty soon."

Where did the couple get married?

The smitten couple tied the knot in Italy in September 2014 - the same country where sparks flew just a year prior. They said "I do" in Venice at the Aman Canal Grande hotel in front of loved ones and celebrity pals including Hollywood’s hottest stars such as Anna Wintour, Cindy Crawford and Emily Blunt.

US actor George Clooney ( L) and his Lebanon-born British fiancee Amal Alamuddin take a taxiboat upon their arrival in Venice on September 26, 2014, on the eve of their wedding. AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLARO (Photo credit should read ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images) — George and Amal arrive in Venice on the eve of their wedding

On her big day, Amal walked down the aisle wearing a sumptuous Oscar de la Renta wedding dress complete with a sleek bateau neckline and a sweeping tulle train. George, meanwhile, looked every inch the dapper groom in a suave Giorgio Armani suit.

Two days later, the loved-up couple visited the Venice Grand Hall for their civil ceremony. As for their honeymoon, the couple enjoyed a blissful period in the British countryside in the grounds of their stunning mansion.

They looked radiant at the Cannes Film Festival

The duo later celebrated their nuptials in the UK at Danesfield House Hotel, hosted by Amal's parents, Baria and Ramzi.

Do they have kids?

Starting a family hadn't always been on George and Amal's radar. "It had never been part of my DNA," the actor told The Hollywood Reporter. "We didn't plan on it. We never talked about it until after we were married, which is funny.

"There was an assumption that we didn't want them. And then, after the wedding, 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."

Amal and George at the World Premiere of Ticket to Paradise

The duo evidently experienced a change of heart… In February 2017, news of Amal's surprise pregnancy broke. "Beyoncé is not the only superstar expecting twins. Congratulations are in order for George and Amal Clooney," The Talk's Julie Chen said live on-air.

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Announcing the news to the world, she continued: "The Talk has confirmed that the 55-year-old superstar and his highly accomplished 39-year-old attorney wife are expecting twins."

Amal welcomed her twins on 6 June 2017 in the same hospital Princess Kate gave birth to her three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

At the time, they told CNN: "This morning Amal and George welcomed Ella and Alexander Clooney into their lives. Ella, Alexander, and Amal are all healthy, happy, and doing fine. George is sedated and should recover in a few days."