George Clooney & Amal Alamuddin - I salute thee!

By Mary Grace Nguyen

Writing about celebrity news, particularly gossip, has never been my forte. Not that it doesn’t interest me, because it does by giving me tremendous satisfaction and reaffirmation that the glamorously rich and well-known have their flaws too! - but also that there isn’t much justification to prod and probe into celebrities lives (or anybody for that matter) unless it has consequences that affect others. However, news just in that George Clooney is engaged to a British human rights lawyers is a revolution for me, and probably a zillion Clooney fans out there.

Clooney has been the epitome and golden example of bachelorhood. Proudly has he flaunted himself in the media including TV interviews of his conviction and confidence of what he was: a bachelor without entitlement or devotion to one. In today’s society, relationships, sexual interests and behaviours have changed and diversified more than ever and bachelorhood is no substitute as it is just as acceptable. Clooney, as a good-looking older man, had only enhanced his status and sex appeal which made his bachelorhood easily agreeable.  Take for example, his recent commercial for Nespresso coffee where he approaches a lady who then screams to all the women on a roof bar that he was present. We know, and he actively knows, he is God’s gift (or nature’s gift if you're an agnostic or atheist,) to the world.

How can this be? He is a bachelor! He can’t be engaged! Can he even fall in love? Ok fine, maybe he can fall in love (with several women,) but who is she? Who is Amal Alamuddin? Are you ready? Drum roll please…

Well, she graduated from Oxford University, studied law at New York University School of Law and now specialises in human rights and international law in Doughty Street Chambers, London.  She has served as counsel to the inquiry for the UN on special rapporteur on counter-terrorism, advised Kofi Annan as well Syria to the UN Special Envoy. 

She is a legal adviser to the King of Bahrain and also represented Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, in his battle against extradition to Sweden. Additionally she has represented clients before the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights including domestic courts in the UK and US. 

If that isn’t a mouth full, there is more. She also manages to train judges, state officials and UN investigators on international criminal law and human rights and has trained police forces in the Gulf.  She has also contributed to many books on international criminal law, co-edited The Law and Practice of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and lectured at the University of North Carolina, The Hague Academy of International Law SOAS, The New School in New York and Chapel Hill. 

Phew, what a lady! I am sure she has done a lot more, but from these key points alone her career history sounds impeccable and being brutally honest, I am not surprised that Clooney has fallen for her –I’ve fallen for her! I have always respected those who were career driven, have endeavours and goals - in any shape or form - that were humanitarian. (Please note this is not an opportunity for trolls to come in and burden me with their political views on Assange, the UN, Syria, Gulf or any of the above mentioned.)   

As the tabloids have expressed, Clooney saw interest in her focus of work within human rights inDarfur, which is perhaps where it may have ignited the spark, so to speak. The relationship was described as platonic years ago by his spokesperson but, that doesn’t seem to be the case now. :  )

Clooney was formally married to Talia Balsam which, ended in 1993. He claimed he wasn’t cut up for marriage thereafter (or something along those lines,) to then having a string of short term relationships with women including actresses and models. Yet, his situation and marital status has now transformed - he has a woman who has radically changed his worldview. 

Naturally, when I saw the tweet by LBC radio talk presenter, Julia Hartley-Brewer, that he was engaged I was curious and had to find out who the engagement was to. Now knowing what I know, I am actually happy for him and Miss Alamuddin, soon to be Mrs. Clooney (unless she decides to keep her name.) Not that my consent will make any difference, but I completely approve and as a fan of Clooney’s looks and charms, I salute thee.

May I add Amal is only 36! I am not referring to the age gap but, I am referring to how much she has achieved at 36. Brava! She is definitely up there with Michelle Obama.