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[h=1] Will George Clooney ever settle down? [/h] by Fiona Cummins, Daily Mirror 8/10/2011
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AS George Clooney flashed that devastating grin around the glitzy parties of the Toronto Film Festival last month, a statuesque blonde beauty was never far from his side.
Although rumours of their relationship had been bubbling for a while, it was the first time the Hollywood star had been seen with former WWE wrestler Stacy Keibler.
That eternal bachelor George, 50, chose this international event to go public with his new girlfriend was surely not a coincidence.
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After all, what better way to generate some publicity for his latest political thriller Ides of March?
Quite what his ex-lover Elisabetta Canalis thought about such breathtaking chutzpah is another matter. The couples two-year relationship ended a mere three months earlier when the Italian model foolishly dared to mention the M-word.
So what is it with gorgeous George? Hes spent the last two decades with an endless stream of beautiful women on his arm but has yet to settle down, apart from a short-lived marriage to actress Talia Balsam.
Reports from the US suggest his relationship with Stacy, 31, a woman who can easily hold her own in Georges exalted social circles, is already getting serious. And asked what she liked about the actor, she replied succinctly: Everything!
Will Ms Keibler be the woman to finally tame him or, as history would suggest, will she prove to be just another amusing but ultimately meaningless diversion?
Ask Oscar-winner George and hell admit hes a reluctant believer in love at first sight. Wed all like to believe in Cinderella that she comes to the ball and their eyes meet and shes perfect for him and hes perfect for her. I dont know that it necessarily works all the time, he said.
Then again, it happened to my parents. He asked her on a date and asked her to marry him immediately. Theyre still together, so I know love at first sight can work.
But not, it would seem, for Mr Clooney. While his parents Nick, a former TV anchor, and ex-beauty queen Nina have been happily married for 51 years, his first (and only) foray into this venerable institution was somewhat less successful.
His four-year union with actress Talia Balsam ended in 1993 and he has sworn never to marry again. In a TV interview earlier this year, Georges sentiments clearly hadnt changed when he said of marriage: I gave it a shot. Ive proven how good I was at it.
Perhaps Elisabetta, 33, wasnt watching. Just a few months later, she gave an ill-advised interview to an Italian magazine, hinting strongly that a wedding and babies were on the cards. It turned out to be a huge mistake. While on holiday at his luxury Villa Oleandro on the shores of Italys Lake Como, the couple reportedly had a blazing row about her comments and George called it a day. Hardly surprisingly, given what hes said about marriage in the past.
Explaining his decision to remain resolutely single, he once said: Wed get into a fight and Id just mentally leave. Id think, In a relationship, we should never have this kind of fight. Then, instead of figuring out how to make it work, Id look for a way to get out of it. The truth is, you shouldnt be married if youre that kind of person.
He added: I tried marriage and it didnt work. I have had long relationships with women and they get bored with me working all the time. My fear is that I would make a lousy husband and I dont want to put myself, or anyone else, through the pain of finding out. If I was my girlfriend, I wouldnt put up with me for very long.
His decision to end the relationship so abruptly should not have come as a shock to Elisabetta. He has previous form.
He dumped former cocktail waitress Sarah Larson, 32 he swept her off their feet while she was working at a Las Vegas nightclub in June 2008 after an 11-month romance, leaving her heartbroken.
It would seem commitment-phobe George, who found fame as troubled Dr Doug Ross in hit series ER, is a realist rather than a romantic. Hes the first to admit hes a workaholic and he simply doesnt have time for the demands of a full-on relationship.
Hes also a dedicated humanitarian campaigner, highlighting the crisis in Sudan with regular trips to Africa.
Although he does not like to discuss his private life I dont like to share my personal life it wouldnt be personal if I did he once offered an insight into why his relationships falter. Discussing the 1999 breakdown of his three-year romance with French waitress Celine Balitran, whom he met in Paris, he said: She was a really nice girl; wanted nothing more than was normal. Just to go out a few times and go to dinner. And I couldnt do it. I was doing a full-time television show and simultaneously I did eight feature films. Throw in the element of being famous, which means that when I finish work on the set all these other people demand my attention.
There has been a handful of significant others. He enjoyed a five-year on-off relationship with British model Lisa Snowdon, who memorably said: We are so ordinary. We fart and belch and everything. Its fantastic. Hes also dated actress Renee Zellweger and Kelly Preston, who later married John Travolta. But no woman has, thus far, been enough to make former altar boy George want to change his ways.
He has no burning desire to become a father, either. Im too wrapped up in my work to think about children, I would need to show myself that Im able to sustain a good long-term relationship before I could even imagine what being a father would be like, he said. It doesnt seem like a smart thing for me to do, and Im pretty adamant about that, I dont have anything in me that says rush out and have kids. Its the ultimate responsibility.
He added: I dont know that Id be a great dad. Its not something that you can half-ass do. If you f*** up there, youve f***** up generations. I dont want to be responsible for someone else that I could hurt.
Despite his reputation hes twice been voted Sexiest Man Alive and was People magazines Most Eligible Bachelor - its reassuring to discover that George, like anyone, is capable of getting hurt.
He previously told this newspaper: Ive had some absolutely great relationships and some not so great relationships. Ive had some easy and natural, made-sense break-ups as well as some rough ones. I deal with them the same way we all do: Im successful with some and not so successful with others. I dont think my experiences are any different than anybody elses, theyve just been amplified a little more.
That said, his most recent split from Elisabetta clearly hasnt put him off women. George, who directed and stars as a presidential candidate in taut political thriller Ides of March, released in the UK later this month, didnt waste any time in replacing his former love.
Although she arrived separately, former Dancing With The Stars contestant Stacy whose legs measure an astonishing 42 inches accompanied him to the Toronto premiere.
They were also spotted at two bashes, including the Vanity Fair party, where sources said she didnt follow him around like a puppy dog, important to a man who clearly doesnt like his women to be too needy.
George, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Syriana in 2005, once said: Im the old-fashioned type who prefers to meet a woman in a more normal setting. I dont like to feel that Im being hunted down. Ive always liked to do my own hunting when it comes to meeting women.
But hes not oblivious to the horrors of his advancing years, either: My worst nightmare is being one of those old Lotharios.
It all sounds rather promising for Stacy, but lets not forget that this is a man whose longest live-in relationship has been with a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig called Max, who died in 2006 after they shared a home for 18 years.
Georges old friend Nicole Kidman famously bet him $10,000 hed be married by the time he was 40. She sent him a cheque on his birthday, but he returned it, offering double or quits in 10 years time.
As of May, that milestone has been and gone but perhaps George has extended the bet to his 60th birthday, and maybe, just maybe, Nicole will one day find herself several thousand dollars richer
Decrease font size Increase font size
AS George Clooney flashed that devastating grin around the glitzy parties of the Toronto Film Festival last month, a statuesque blonde beauty was never far from his side.
Although rumours of their relationship had been bubbling for a while, it was the first time the Hollywood star had been seen with former WWE wrestler Stacy Keibler.
That eternal bachelor George, 50, chose this international event to go public with his new girlfriend was surely not a coincidence.
Advertisement >>
After all, what better way to generate some publicity for his latest political thriller Ides of March?
Quite what his ex-lover Elisabetta Canalis thought about such breathtaking chutzpah is another matter. The couples two-year relationship ended a mere three months earlier when the Italian model foolishly dared to mention the M-word.
So what is it with gorgeous George? Hes spent the last two decades with an endless stream of beautiful women on his arm but has yet to settle down, apart from a short-lived marriage to actress Talia Balsam.
Reports from the US suggest his relationship with Stacy, 31, a woman who can easily hold her own in Georges exalted social circles, is already getting serious. And asked what she liked about the actor, she replied succinctly: Everything!
Will Ms Keibler be the woman to finally tame him or, as history would suggest, will she prove to be just another amusing but ultimately meaningless diversion?
Ask Oscar-winner George and hell admit hes a reluctant believer in love at first sight. Wed all like to believe in Cinderella that she comes to the ball and their eyes meet and shes perfect for him and hes perfect for her. I dont know that it necessarily works all the time, he said.
Then again, it happened to my parents. He asked her on a date and asked her to marry him immediately. Theyre still together, so I know love at first sight can work.
But not, it would seem, for Mr Clooney. While his parents Nick, a former TV anchor, and ex-beauty queen Nina have been happily married for 51 years, his first (and only) foray into this venerable institution was somewhat less successful.
His four-year union with actress Talia Balsam ended in 1993 and he has sworn never to marry again. In a TV interview earlier this year, Georges sentiments clearly hadnt changed when he said of marriage: I gave it a shot. Ive proven how good I was at it.
Perhaps Elisabetta, 33, wasnt watching. Just a few months later, she gave an ill-advised interview to an Italian magazine, hinting strongly that a wedding and babies were on the cards. It turned out to be a huge mistake. While on holiday at his luxury Villa Oleandro on the shores of Italys Lake Como, the couple reportedly had a blazing row about her comments and George called it a day. Hardly surprisingly, given what hes said about marriage in the past.
Explaining his decision to remain resolutely single, he once said: Wed get into a fight and Id just mentally leave. Id think, In a relationship, we should never have this kind of fight. Then, instead of figuring out how to make it work, Id look for a way to get out of it. The truth is, you shouldnt be married if youre that kind of person.
He added: I tried marriage and it didnt work. I have had long relationships with women and they get bored with me working all the time. My fear is that I would make a lousy husband and I dont want to put myself, or anyone else, through the pain of finding out. If I was my girlfriend, I wouldnt put up with me for very long.
His decision to end the relationship so abruptly should not have come as a shock to Elisabetta. He has previous form.
He dumped former cocktail waitress Sarah Larson, 32 he swept her off their feet while she was working at a Las Vegas nightclub in June 2008 after an 11-month romance, leaving her heartbroken.
It would seem commitment-phobe George, who found fame as troubled Dr Doug Ross in hit series ER, is a realist rather than a romantic. Hes the first to admit hes a workaholic and he simply doesnt have time for the demands of a full-on relationship.
Hes also a dedicated humanitarian campaigner, highlighting the crisis in Sudan with regular trips to Africa.
Although he does not like to discuss his private life I dont like to share my personal life it wouldnt be personal if I did he once offered an insight into why his relationships falter. Discussing the 1999 breakdown of his three-year romance with French waitress Celine Balitran, whom he met in Paris, he said: She was a really nice girl; wanted nothing more than was normal. Just to go out a few times and go to dinner. And I couldnt do it. I was doing a full-time television show and simultaneously I did eight feature films. Throw in the element of being famous, which means that when I finish work on the set all these other people demand my attention.
There has been a handful of significant others. He enjoyed a five-year on-off relationship with British model Lisa Snowdon, who memorably said: We are so ordinary. We fart and belch and everything. Its fantastic. Hes also dated actress Renee Zellweger and Kelly Preston, who later married John Travolta. But no woman has, thus far, been enough to make former altar boy George want to change his ways.
He has no burning desire to become a father, either. Im too wrapped up in my work to think about children, I would need to show myself that Im able to sustain a good long-term relationship before I could even imagine what being a father would be like, he said. It doesnt seem like a smart thing for me to do, and Im pretty adamant about that, I dont have anything in me that says rush out and have kids. Its the ultimate responsibility.
He added: I dont know that Id be a great dad. Its not something that you can half-ass do. If you f*** up there, youve f***** up generations. I dont want to be responsible for someone else that I could hurt.
Despite his reputation hes twice been voted Sexiest Man Alive and was People magazines Most Eligible Bachelor - its reassuring to discover that George, like anyone, is capable of getting hurt.
He previously told this newspaper: Ive had some absolutely great relationships and some not so great relationships. Ive had some easy and natural, made-sense break-ups as well as some rough ones. I deal with them the same way we all do: Im successful with some and not so successful with others. I dont think my experiences are any different than anybody elses, theyve just been amplified a little more.
That said, his most recent split from Elisabetta clearly hasnt put him off women. George, who directed and stars as a presidential candidate in taut political thriller Ides of March, released in the UK later this month, didnt waste any time in replacing his former love.
Although she arrived separately, former Dancing With The Stars contestant Stacy whose legs measure an astonishing 42 inches accompanied him to the Toronto premiere.
They were also spotted at two bashes, including the Vanity Fair party, where sources said she didnt follow him around like a puppy dog, important to a man who clearly doesnt like his women to be too needy.
George, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Syriana in 2005, once said: Im the old-fashioned type who prefers to meet a woman in a more normal setting. I dont like to feel that Im being hunted down. Ive always liked to do my own hunting when it comes to meeting women.
But hes not oblivious to the horrors of his advancing years, either: My worst nightmare is being one of those old Lotharios.
It all sounds rather promising for Stacy, but lets not forget that this is a man whose longest live-in relationship has been with a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig called Max, who died in 2006 after they shared a home for 18 years.
Georges old friend Nicole Kidman famously bet him $10,000 hed be married by the time he was 40. She sent him a cheque on his birthday, but he returned it, offering double or quits in 10 years time.
As of May, that milestone has been and gone but perhaps George has extended the bet to his 60th birthday, and maybe, just maybe, Nicole will one day find herself several thousand dollars richer
