Meet George Clooney's "ideal match" and surprise new fiancee, Amal Alamuddin. Just last September, eternal bachelor Clooney said in an Esquire interview that he had no "aspirations" to get married again. Six months after he made that bold — but typical — statement, the Oscar-winning playboy, 52, is newly-engaged to human rights lawyer Alamuddin, 36. Who is the woman who finally got one of Hollywood's most sought-after bachelors to settle down? Here are five things to know about the future Mrs. George Clooney!
1. She's a Respected Lawyer
Alamuddin is not only beautiful, but she's also a brainiac whose passion for justice commands the respect of her peers. The London-based barrister is an accomplished lawyer who specializes in international law. According to Alamuddin's work profile at Doughty Street Chambers (temporarily taken down as of Monday, April 28), the Oxford-educated, New york University Law grad is currently based in London.
She previously practiced at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's offices in New York City, where she worked on the Criminal Defense and Investigations Group representing global corporate clients like Enron and Arthur Andersen. Barrister Geoffrey Robertson told Reuters in a statement that Alamuddin is a "brilliant and passionate defender of human rights."
2. She Has an Impressive List of Clients
When Clooney took her to the White House for a screening of The Monuments Men back in February, Alamuddin was working on a case representing Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in a case disputing his extradition. According to Forbes, she's represented clients in the International Court of Justice in the Hague, International Criminal Court, and the European Court of Human Rights. She's also an appointed adviser to former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and has worked on representing the government of Cambodia in a case against Thailand over a territorial dispute.
"She brings a bright light to everything she is involved in," her law firm's chief executive Robin Jackson told Reuters on Monday. "I am so delighted at her happy news."
3. She's Topped Some Lists of Her Own
A British blog called Your Barrister Boyfriend placed "dazzling beauty" Alamuddin at the top of its list of the "21 Hottest Barristers in London" last summer. "Amal Alamuddin may make some feel inadequate because she has achieved the seemingly unattainable ideal of contemporary femininity," the curators of the list wrote. "She is both breathtakingly beautiful and formidably successful." The blog also gushed over Alamuddin's "huge warm eyes and silky, jet-black hair."
4. She's Multilingual and Girl Can Travel!
The Lebanon, Beirut-born beauty is fluent in both French and Arabic. In March, Clooney took her to Tanzania, where photographers snapped the couple cuddling and marveling over the local wildlife. They later visited the tropical haven of Seychelles, an island country located in the Indian Ocean where Prince William and Duchess Catherine honeymooned back in 2011. "He likes a woman with brains and class," a source told Us Weekly of the couple's engagement. "She's the full package."
Like Alamuddin, Clooney is also a human rights activist who co-founded the Satellite Sentinel Project. In March 2012, the star was arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., after a heated protest denouncing Omar Al-Bsahir's war crimes.
5. She's Cool With His Friends
Alamuddin has engaged with Clooney's close pals including entrepreneur Rande Gerber and his supermodel wife, Cindy Crawford, and other Hollywood notables like John Krasinski and Emily Blunt. "This is the healthiest relationship I've ever seen George in," a source recently told Us of Clooney, who's dated a slew of ladies including model Stacy Keibler and actress Elisabetta Canalis. The actor was once married to actress Talia Balsam in 1989, but the couple divorced in 1993. (The Touched by An Angel star is now married to Mad Men actor John Slattery.)
"He seems incredibly happy, and Amal is such a sweet and intelligent girl, who has her own thoughts and ideas and doesn't just bow down to everything he says," the source added to Us.
