A source confirms: George Clooney is ready to swap wedding vows with Amal Alamuddin, the British attorney he’s been linked to since October 2013 and who recently accompanied him on a safari. Clooney has often claimed he’s been happy being a bachelor – but surprise! – from the looks of it, one special lady has helped him change his mind.
Though the tight-lipped actor, who was married to actress Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993, hasn’t spoken much about his personal life or the women he’s dated over the years (Stacy Keibler, Elisabetta Canalis, and Lisa Snowdon to name a few), we found some gems. In anticipation of Clooney’s impending nuptials, we gathered some of his most memorable thoughts on love and marriage. Here, a look back:
Clooney’s Sexiest Man Alive Interview with PEOPLE in 2006
On his vow to “never marry again” – and whether he’s changed his mind: “Marriage? Who knows? I’ve been married. It’s not something I’m looking out for,” Clooney told PEOPLE in an exclusive interview when named Sexiest Man Alive in 2006. “Things could always change, but it’s not a consideration right now. The truth is I’m really happy. The things that are a drag in my life are so outweighed by the things that are great. I have families that I spend my days with, and friends I spend my days with, and people I care very much about. I get to do what almost no one gets to do. My life’s really good.”
On whether he’ll ever have children: “I think it’s the most responsible thing you can do, to have kids,” Clooney said. “I think it’s the biggest responsibility you’ll have, and it’s not something to be taken lightly. I don’t have that thing in me that says,’must do it’. I don’t see myself ever having kids. But everything in my life has changed over periods of time … and the world does change.”
On what he finds attractive in a woman: His type of woman? “All different types over the years,” Clooney told PEOPLE in 2006. “Everybody says this, but I’d bet sense of humor is no. 1 for me. It’s certainly what’s most attractive and the first thing you notice about someone. It’s not the first thing you notice at 21, but it’s the first thing you notice now. You also have to have a sense of humor about my life … It certainly has had an effect on relationships, but I would bet less effect than my own issues or insecurities. You can’t really blame outside forces for things not working out. You have to take some responsibility.”
October 2009
“I’ve had some absolutely great relationships and some not so great relationships,” he told the Daily Mirror. “I’ve been in some relationships where I’ve felt terribly alone. Just because you’re with someone it doesn’t mean you’re incredibly happy and complete.”
January 2011
“I hate to blow your whole news story, but I was married,” he told CNN about his four-year marriage. “Yeah, so I’ve proven how good I was at it, and I just … I’m allowed one.”
January 2012
“I don’t talk about [marriage] because I don’t think about it,” he explained to Esquire. “I don’t ever question other peoples’ versions of how they live their lives or what they do. I understand that it’s a subject of interest for people. But sometimes it exists only because it came up years ago. It becomes this conversation piece that constantly resurfaces.”
February 2012
“My private life is private, and I’m very happy in it,” Clooney told the Advocate.
December 2013
“I haven’t met her yet,” Clooney told W Magazine, regarding who was the greatest love of his life.
January 2014
“I haven’t had aspirations in that way, ever,” he admitted to Esquire about why he isn’t married with kids. “I was married in 1989. I wasn’t very good at it. I was quoted as saying I’ll never get married again pretty much right after I got divorced and then I’ve never talked about it since.”
People Magazine
