George Clooney Mom 'Extremely Happy' Actor is Engaged to Amal Alamuddin; Applauds British Lawyer's 'Brains and Beauty'
Nina Clooney, the mother of Hollywood actor George Clooney, expressed her delight over news that he is engaged to British lawyer Amal Alamuddin.
Nina, 74, and her veteran broadcaster husband Nick, 80, reportedly met Alamuddin, 36, last year and they all bonded over foreign affairs. On Monday reports confirmed that Clooney, 52, will wed the human rights lawyer and Nina revealed that she is "extremely happy" about the news.
"You can say I'm extremely happy, Amal's a lovely girl. I like her very much," Nina said of her future daughter-in-law who she described as being a good mix of "brains and beauty."
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Clooney, a human rights activist, and his bride-to-be are believed to have celebrated their recent engagement with close friends in Los Angeles last week. Alamuddin, who began dating Clooney in October, sported a "huge ring" during the event, according to People magazine.
"We weren't at all surprised when they told us they were engaged, and we couldn't be happier for them," Nina said. "On an intellectual level, they are equals. That is very important to him. Amal's world couldn't be more different from the Hollywood lifestyle."
The couple first stepped out together publicly during an outing in London in October, three months after Clooney's split from Keibler. They have since enjoyed a number of globe-trotting jaunts including a trip to Tanzania and New York City.
In February Nina and Nick accompanied Clooney and his fiancee to a private White House screening of "The Monuments Men" with President Obama.
Clooney, a successful actor and film producer, is passionate about humanitarian work and he has been at the forefront of advocacy for resolving the war in Darfur. Alamuddin, who was born in Beirut and raised in England, also has a philanthropic background.
She is currently representing Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and is an adviser to Kofi Annan, the special envoy to Syria.
"George and Amal are trying to keep things very low-key but they also aren't really trying to hide this, it doesn't seem," an insider told People.
"I think it's like they want the people they love to know that this is real, that they plan on being together forever," the source explained with another. "He's with someone who is a very accomplished attorney. She isn't someone who is pursuing a career in acting or entertainment. She's on his level."
Clooney split from TV personality Stacy Keibler after two years of dating in July last year. Keibler has since married tech entrepreneur Jared Pobre and the couple are expecting a child.
