Daily Mail article about Amal

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The formidable British beauty who's tamed George Clooney: Hollywood hunk's new love interest is human rights barrister


The past years have seen a parade of models, cocktail waitresses and even a noted female wrestler.
All of them have looked immensely decorative on George Clooney’s arm, and perhaps it would be churlish to observe that higher-level education did not figure prominently on any of their lively CVs.
However, Gorgeous George, who at 52 is Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, has now apparently fallen head over heels in love with someone quite different: Amal Alamuddin.

The formidable British beauty who's tamed George Clooney: Hollywood hunk's new love interest is human rights barrister
By ALISON BOSHOFF

PUBLISHED: 19:59 EST, 30 March 2014 | UPDATED: 19:59 EST, 30 March 2014

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The past years have seen a parade of models, cocktail waitresses and even a noted female wrestler.

All of them have looked immensely decorative on George Clooney’s arm, and perhaps it would be churlish to observe that higher-level education did not figure prominently on any of their lively CVs.

However, Gorgeous George, who at 52 is Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, has now apparently fallen head over heels in love with someone quite different: Amal Alamuddin.

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Gorgeous George, who at 52 is Hollywood's most eligible bachelor, has now apparently fallen head over heels in love with Amal Alamuddin

She is a barrister of Lebanese origin, but a naturalised Brit.

She won a scholarship to St Hugh’s College, Oxford, where she achieved a 2:1 in Law, and then went on to the New York University School of Law.

The family home is a very comfortable £860,000 detached modern property in Gerrard’s Cross, Bucks, where, it has to be admitted, the neighbours are agog at the starry association.

‘Good for her!’ one exclaimed last week.

It turns out, though, that Amal is by no means the only brunette bombshell in the family.

For her mother, Baria, is a former newsreader and prominent journalist who has been described as Lebanon’s answer to Liz Taylor.


Indeed, so gorgeous was Baria in her youth that a famous Lebanese poet wrote an ode to her loveliness.

And the fact is that Amal’s family are — while not quite in the league of an international heart-throb like George Clooney — wealthy and prominent in Lebanon in their own right, with one relative setting up the country’s airline.

Her grandfather was a government minister, and another cousin is Rima Alamuddin, a renowned poet of considerable beauty who was tragically shot dead, aged only 22, by a disgruntled boyfriend while on holiday in Lebanon from her studies at Cambridge University.

There is, then, a heady mixture of intellectual achievement and extraordinary beauty in her family.

And what of the romance? Amal and George were first spotted in each other’s company at a dinner in October last year, having been brought together by a mutual interest in human rights issues.

Amal is an adviser to former UN Secretary general Kofi Annan, who is now the special envoy to Syria, and Clooney is greatly interested by the troubles in the region.

At first, any association was denied. Clooney’s spokesman Stan Rosenfield said that the pair were ‘just friends’.

Rosenfield said: ‘He wants Amal to be able to prosecute cases without being hassled because she had one dinner with George and four others.

'I even asked George if these rumours were true and he said he never comments on his private life, but in the interest of stopping the harassment, he felt he should.’

Then, in December, something rather curious happened. Clooney had a rant to the effect that Twitter was ‘just stupid’ and that anyone who was famous and had a Twitter account was ‘a moron’.

Within 24 hours, Amal’s modest band of followers were surprised to note that she had closed down her Twitter account.

In February, she accompanied Clooney to a White House screening of his latest film, Monuments Men, where onlookers described them as being ‘very much together’.

And over the past few weeks the actor and Amal have seemingly moved their flirtation to the next level. Earlier this month they took a safari in Tanzania and looked lovey-dovey in photographs.

The pictures show them gazing affectionately at each other and embracing. Clooney seems totally relaxed as he looks directly at the camera.

Then they went on holiday to the Seychelles where, again, no trouble was taken to hide the romance.

From there, they returned to New York, and stayed at the Carlyle Hotel, where George was based while promoting his latest film. Amal looked radiantly happy when pictured stepping out for dinner with her beau.

Now they are said to be in Dubai together, with George getting to know Amal’s family during a break on a yacht.

Hollywood gossips claim this is ‘already a serious romance’ with one telling me: ‘George is head over heels about Amal in a way that he’s never been about any of the others. He really is crazy about her.’

Inevitably, it is being asked whether this association just might end his aversion to marriage — he’s been resolutely single since a divorce from actress Talia Balsam in 1993.

So who is Amal Alamuddin?

At 36, she is, perhaps inevitably, considerably younger than Clooney. Golden Globes hostess Tina Fey poked fun at the actor’s preference for younger partners at the recent awards ceremony, describing his film Gravity as ‘the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age’.



In appearance, Amal has just a touch of Hollywood actress Katie Holmes in that curtain of shiny, swishing hair and — rather spookily — she is also a ringer for George Clooney’s ex-wife.
Described in a recent list of ‘legal hotties’ as ‘breathtakingly beautiful’, she speaks French and Arabic as well as English.
Amal works from the renowned Doughty Street Chambers in London and specialises in International and Human Rights Law.
She has represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his fight against extradition, as well the former prime minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko.
Her family are religious and belong to the Druze sect, an offshoot of Islam which is noted for its opposition to interfaith marriages.
Amal’s father Ramzi, a retired professor of business studies at the American University of Beirut, is understood to be Druze, as was his father Khalil, who was a doctor and the Director of Beirut’s American University Hospital.
But Ramzi married outside the Druze faith. A family source said yesterday that he had met Amal’s mother Baria in a nightclub in Beirut, and said that they believed her to be ‘certainly not Druze’.
Baria is a successful journalist and in her youth a newsreader on Lebanese television. A friend, journalist Jihad el Khazen, said that the famous Lebanese poet Said Akl was ‘mesmerised’ by Baria’s ‘Greek’ beauty and had even been moved to write a poem about her when she was in her 20s.
Amal was born in Beirut, and another daughter, Tala, followed, plus sons Samer and Ziad.
In around 1987, the family moved to Gerrard’s Cross and Baria took up a job as the foreign editor of the Lebanese newspaper Al Hayat, a role she still holds today.


Her friend, the Philippines writer Carmen Pedrosa, said that in the mid-Eighties she was noted for her resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor.
She would, said Pedrosa, run around in stiletto heels.
This was in order to present herself as an impeccably fashionable lady journalist when she met heads of state (such as India’s Indira Gandhi) and Nobel prize-winners.
Baria is also long-time friend of the family of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and recently interviewed his widow, Suha, who said that she believed her husband had been murdered.
She makes regular appearances, as an analyst on Middle Eastern affairs, on CNN BBC, Sky News, Al-Jazeera, and other TV channels.
One of her neighbours in Gerrard’s Cross described the family as ‘very nice people’.
For a time, Amal’s father, Ramzi, who loves golf and Manchester United, lived with them in Buckinghamshire and the whole family are naturalised British.
However, it seems he and Baria have separated — he has not been on the electoral roll for the address the past six years.
Contacted last week, he declined to comment on his daughter or his family, saying that it was ‘all a private matter’.
But not everyone, though, is so discreet about the possibility of George Clooney joining the Alamuddin family.
Baria’s friend, Jihad el Khazen said: ‘I knew Amal when she was little and then later as a grown woman, and we spoke in our last meeting about her work in defending Julian Assange.
‘I was impressed with her intellect as much as I was impressed with the beauty of her mother, when we were all single and young.’
And journalist Alison Bell, who had a media business with Baria until recently, said: ‘Gosh, it is exciting! Amal is a lovely girl. When I knew her, she was really a hard worker.
‘She was very much into studying hard so it would not surprise me at all that she’s got to this age without getting married.
‘I never knew her to be involved with anybody, I don’t think she had any boyfriends at all. She was just very focused on what she was doing. She was just an absolute sweetheart.’
It’s not Amal who should be congratulating herself on a fine catch, but George Clooney who should be counting himself fortunate.

Oh sigh... true love it is then cause the Daily Mail says so!

Interesting...thanks Sevens!

One of her neighbours in Gerrard’s Cross described the family as ‘very nice people’.
For a time, Amal’s father, Ramzi, who loves golf and Manchester United, lived with them in Buckinghamshire and the whole family are naturalised British.
However, it seems he and Baria have separated — he has not been on the electoral roll for the address the past six years.
Contacted last week, he declined to comment on his daughter or his family, saying that it was ‘all a private matter’.
But not everyone, though, is so discreet about the possibility of George Clooney joining the Alamuddin family.
Baria’s friend, Jihad el Khazen said: ‘I knew Amal when she was little and then later as a grown woman, and we spoke in our last meeting about her work in defending Julian Assange.
‘I was impressed with her intellect as much as I was impressed with the beauty of her mother, when we were all single and young.’
And journalist Alison Bell, who had a media business with Baria until recently, said: ‘Gosh, it is exciting! Amal is a lovely girl. When I knew her, she was really a hard worker.
‘She was very much into studying hard so it would not surprise me at all that she’s got to this age without getting married.
‘I never knew her to be involved with anybody, I don’t think she had any boyfriends at all. She was just very focused on what she was doing. She was just an absolute sweetheart.’
It’s not Amal who should be congratulating herself on a fine catch, but George Clooney who should be counting himself fortunate.


I think we only need to read this part as new info

Sevens wrote:One of her neighbours in Gerrard’s Cross described the family as ‘very nice people’.
For a time, Amal’s father, Ramzi, who loves golf and Manchester United, lived with them in Buckinghamshire and the whole family are naturalised British.
However, it seems he and Baria have separated — he has not been on the electoral roll for the address the past six years.
Contacted last week, he declined to comment on his daughter or his family, saying that it was ‘all a private matter’.
But not everyone, though, is so discreet about the possibility of George Clooney joining the Alamuddin family.
Baria’s friend, Jihad el Khazen said: ‘I knew Amal when she was little and then later as a grown woman, and we spoke in our last meeting about her work in defending Julian Assange.
‘I was impressed with her intellect as much as I was impressed with the beauty of her mother, when we were all single and young.’
And journalist Alison Bell, who had a media business with Baria until recently, said: ‘Gosh, it is exciting! Amal is a lovely girl. When I knew her, she was really a hard worker.
‘She was very much into studying hard so it would not surprise me at all that she’s got to this age without getting married.
‘I never knew her to be involved with anybody, I don’t think she had any boyfriends at all. She was just very focused on what she was doing. She was just an absolute sweetheart.’
It’s not Amal who should be congratulating herself on a fine catch, but George Clooney who should be counting himself fortunate.


I think we only need to read this part as new info

I really don't think GC should consider himself fortunate because a lady can study and many people study and date..I find that   

That's not the recipe for romance iMo!

That's Daily Mail,they're too excited about their British intellect girl Amal.

Sevens wrote:That's Daily Mail,they're too excited about their British intellect girl Amal.

Well they have to say something...bills have to be paid and jobs to be had! 

oh please l'm bored , everything is fucking perfect lol

Well exactly. That's life in media land!

I think it's understood that she has her flaws and foibles as much as the next person does.

If that's true, and she comes out of this unscathed, that will impress me more than anything she's done in the legal world.

Not even a practice lap before taking a run at the Clooney prize...?

"Balls," said the Queen. "If I had 'em, I'd be King."

HAHA funny...but yes I agree this kind of thing is rare today. Normally everyone "fucks" with everyone (of course not me but you know what I want to say) until they find they "true" love. Todays wold is strange...

Considering this lady was in PR and broadcasting I wonder if she really gave that quote. Of course she did sort of qualify the statement by saying 'I never really knew', and that probably says it all.

Who knows what friendships our children make when they go to university (or universities in this case) unless they choose to tell you! After all they're adults

Something that really irks me about the media in this case, is that they imply George can only date a certain type of lady. While putting the past down saying she is the only educated one that he dated. DM also says that she eerily resembles Talia; which George has been know to say the only woman that he ever loved. So maybe this is a preferred type today.

He has also dated others of this stature; dark shiny hair, large beautiful eyes, petite and educated. The one from Pakistan, Fatima really looks like AA only even more beautiful and sweeter looking. She is a liberal activist of sorts in her country. The family was always into politics. She is a graduate of Barnard College and the London School of Economics. Just because many are in the entertainment industry does not mean they are uneducated trash. And heaven forbid they are in the restaurant/bar service business they are beneath that. I owned a restaurant and cooked waited on tables and also have a college education, maybe not "Ivy League".

George went to two colleges he might not have stayed around to get a degree but he put time in. He jokes about his partying back then which most did, but he had to learn something and wasn't drunk all the time. I know that his marks in the lower schools were very good and he has said that for punishment his father would make him write an essay about whatever the punishment is for. He comes from a learned family and he is no dummy he has a sharp mind. If he didn't he would not be able to negotiate around all the higher up people he deals with at times.

I am sorry will get off my soap box now, I usually post comments at the article when they stir me up. xxx

What a novelty! This newspaper loves flatter Amal

What do they want to tell us with this Daily Mail article? That the Alamudin family is beautiful, smart, creative and brilliant? Why not! That GC has to be much obliged that AA has taken notice of him? Fine!

The best sections of this artice are maybe the following:

Baria’s friend, Jihad el Khazen said: ‘I knew Amal when she was little and then later as a grown woman, and we spoke in our last meeting about her work in defending Julian Assange.
‘I was impressed with her intellect as much as I was impressed with the beauty of her mother, when we were all single and young.’

Ah, the mother a former beauty, the daughter now intelligent?


And journalist Alison Bell, who had a media business with Baria until recently, said: ‘Gosh, it is exciting! Amal is a lovely girl. When I knew her, she was really a hard worker.
‘She was very much into studying hard so it would not surprise me at all that she’s got to this age without getting married.
‘I never knew her to be involved with anybody, I don’t think she had any boyfriends at all. She was just very focused on what she was doing. She was just an absolute sweetheart.’

Does he want to say that Amal is a 36years old virgin? But for all her intelligence, now it is time to marry? Let’s pray for both that this isn’t true. Because if AA would be a virgin, he would have to marry her soon. The pressure of a traditional Druze family could be a varity to the usual public pressure.

Nice article! Usually I am not so cynical, but this so obviously ordered article as well as the other work on her image cheeked me. Do they really think that all people (except of them) are silly and blind? Why to hell not just being happy and enjoying each other?

Well I'm not sure if Amal is still virgin or not...Don't know whether pre-marriage sex is widely acceptable in her culture...what we do know is Amal has never been married.
Anyway, in our country's social norms, you'd better be virgin before your first marriage or at least you should keep it as a secret.
It depends on Amal's attitude whether she cares about this or not. So George must figure this issue out before they have sex?

Sevens wrote:Well I'm not sure if Amal is still virgin or not...Don't know whether pre-marriage sex is widely acceptable in her culture...what we do know is Amal has never been married.

Her culture? She was raised in the UK. She is modern, educated woman. There would be nothing wrong with being virgin but I would bet the safe bet is any Western woman that reaches the age of 36 is not.

what makes you think that they haven't had sex until now ?

Does her sex life REALLY have to be discussed here ??
That's just not on and it's gone beyond common decency IMO.
It's making this decent forum read like the cheapest tabloid.

Please stop it !

Yep, Jo. I think the depths have been reached now......

Clean up clean up!!! Spring cleaning is here:-) Does anyone else need there closet cleaned?

I do believe they've had sex together...so no problem at all.Period.

Jd68...wow that's impressive ... A friend of my mom's has never got married for her nearly-50-year life. I feel like that aunt remains virgin.
I haven't had any sex experience personally but I've heard some of my classmates do. Still minority though.
My parents always tell me to hold your virgin until the first night of your marriage. Or you may be fooled by boys. 

Calling All Mods....Do You Copy ?

Is it time to take some action here ??

  

Roger that Jo...no more sex talk...although I'm curious about that
Back to the topic. I feel sad for Amal's beautiful cousin who was shot dead by her boyfriend. They should punish the murderer!

   

Okay lets not discuss a subject of which none of you have any real knowledge of, which is whether or not Amal is a virgin etc etc. Its no-ones business and some posters are offended, so lets end that topic of discussion now thanks. Also keep in mind from all Ive read that the Daily Mail is not exactly Time Magazine.

theminis wrote:Okay lets not discuss a subject of which none of you have any real knowledge of, which is whether or not Amal is a virgin etc etc.  Its no-ones business and some posters are offended, so lets end that topic of discussion now thanks.  Also keep in mind from all Ive read that the Daily Mail is not exactly Time Magazine.  

Well I don't know if Time Magazine is something to use as a barameter of what is in good taste or not as the selection of articles today include:

"No, it's not safe to pee in the pool"

"Role playing GOP candidate takes heat over occult fantasies"

"Three reasons why you shouldn't be upset about the 'How I Met Your Mother' finale."

And my fave (NOT)

"Beiber beat Einstein: Behind Jeopardy's 50 Years"


brahahahahaha!

Sevens wrote:Roger that Jo...no more sex talk...although I'm curious about that
Back to the topic. I feel sad for Amal's beautiful counsin who was shot dead by her boyfriend. They should punish the murderer!

Find it extremely strange that we can't talk about sex on here...yet we can feel open to discuss a murder?

Not sure I would even discuss loss of virginity - or not - with some of my girlfriends be it mine or theirs, never mind somebody I don't know and have only read about in newspapers - some of which are misquoting and clutching at straws

Too much information....... and it has nothing to do with us

I agree...I feel sorry for Amal...if she does read any of this...her whole life has been exposed and dissected...by the world!

Take a look at the livestream I just posted in her work thread - and enjoy....

I feel for her as well, but it is something she should have been expecting. It has happened to virtually every woman who has spent more than 10 minutes in his presence.

party animal - not! wrote:Take a look at the livestream I just posted in her work thread - and enjoy....

Thanks very much party animal for this video link and insight.

Amal looks and sounds lovely!

Just wondering - Maybe there should be a thread for those posters who want to discuss virginity (NOT AMAL'S as we know nothing about her - and it's none of our business!). Don't know where it would go, but it might prove informative for those interested. Anyone who finds it offensive could ignore it.

Start a thread in "party in the kitchen" and see if you get any takers Lizzy.

theminis wrote:Okay lets not discuss a subject of which none of you have any real knowledge of, which is whether or not Amal is a virgin etc etc.  Its no-ones business and some posters are offended, so lets end that topic of discussion now thanks.  Also keep in mind from all Ive read that the Daily Mail is not exactly Time Magazine.  

This subject is as low as you can go... well done ladies take a bow.

@Mel - Honestly, I'm really not interested. It just seemed to me that some of the other posters wanted to discuss the topic in general. Do you think I should post it?

We are WAY off topic here - again.

If you want to discuss that start a party in the kitchen thread and if some are offended by the discussion they can avoid the topic.

Sevens wrote:Jd68...wow that's impressive ... A friend of my mom's has never got married for her nearly-50-year life. I feel like that aunt remains virgin.
I haven't had any sex experience personally but I've heard some of my classmates do. Still minority though.
My parents always tell me to hold your virgin until the first night of your marriage. Or you may be fooled by boys. 

I am not interested in discussing this type of subject about Amal or anyone...only in the instance above like with Sevens who I think...might need some guidance...as she is young. That's all!

Oh I feel bad now...Sorry for this...I don't need guide as practice is the best teacher you can get. I'll wait for my day.
Maybe someone should delete my post if I offended anyone.

Sevens, I don't think anyone is offended here in relation to your personal circumstances - if you wish to discuss your personal circumstances by all means do so in the Party in the Kitchen section. What we should not do is discuss Amals sexual experience on this site, because simply its no-one's business but her own!

@New Fan - That's exactly why I asked about posting a new thread for the subject.

@Sevens- Don't feel bad about your post. It is not offensive - it is only offensive to pry into the personal life of someone we don't know.

I'm afraid that I provoked this discussion about sexual life of AA. I feel bad now because that was not my intention. While reading the Daily Mail article I was somewhat surprised at the remarks about Amal and her family.I got the impression that this was another (redundant IMO) work on her image.
I was just giving vent to my feelings and posted some sneering remarks. I am sorry if I have offended so of you.

l'm sorry too , l don't know what got to me , it's non of our business for sure .