George and Amal Clooney Enjoy ‘Romantic Date Nights’: How They ‘Make Time for Special Moments’

At the Venice premiere of Wolfs, George and Amal Clooney turned heads. The actor, who costars in the film with Brad Pitt, looked dapper in a traditional dark suit and bow tie. His wife of almost a decade shimmered in a light yellow custom Atelier Versace gown.

As their 10-year anniversary approaches, the Oscar-winning star and Amal, an attorney and the mother of their twins, Ella and Alexander, 7, have never been happier — or busier! “George feels at peace with his life now,” says a friend. “He always feared that settling down and having children would change his life, but he met Amal at the right time. He was ready.”

It hasn’t been easy as they are both very committed to their jobs. Amal is often needed in London or the Netherlands, where the International Criminal Court is located, for her work as a human rights lawyer. George, meanwhile, remains eager for new acting challenges. He will make his Broadway debut next spring in Good Night, and Good Luck, which he also cowrote. “George and Amal are both so busy, but they make time for special moments together,” says the friend, who explains that they celebrated their September 27 anniversary early. “They both appreciate romantic date nights.”

Inside George and Amal Clooney’s Strong Connection

Now that Ella and Alexander are school age, the couple, who are assisted by a nanny and some live in staff, try not to globe-hop too often. Lately, they’ve been spending more time as a family at Domaine du Canadel, their estate in rural France. Next spring, they’ll likely move as a family to New York to support George’s Broadway ambitions. “Managing their schedules and time apart has been challenging, and at times they have been apart more than they liked,” says the friend. “The bottom line is that they support each other’s careers. They are happy with the life they have built together.”

No one was more surprised by their strong connection than George and Amal themselves. Introduced by a mutual friend in the summer of 2013, they had both given up on finding a soulmate. “I met George when I was 35 and starting to become quite resigned to the idea that I was going to be a spinster,” admits Amal. “Then we met and started hiding out in my London flat, and very soon it felt like, no matter what happened, I would never want to be with anyone else.”

The feeling was mutual for George, who felt thunderstruck by Amal, a Beirut-born, Britain-reared attorney. “I met this amazing woman, and she took my breath away,” he says. “She was brilliant and funny and beautiful and kind. I was sort of swept off my feet.”

Keeping their romance alive while navigating parenthood, fame and their passions for their very different kinds of work has been challenging but worth the effort. “I didn’t know how un-full [my life] was until I met Amal,” George says. “And then everything changed. And I was like, ‘Oh, actually, this has been a huge empty space.’”