The trouble with dating George Clooney

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The trouble with dating George Clooney

His pals claim it's just a 'fling', but can Clooney's new girl learn from his exes' mistakes?

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Published:  August 18, 1950 00:00By Gemma White, Editor, e+
  

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It [media] used to be two reliable sources and that doesn't seem to exist any more, says Clooney.Image Credit: AP

That he's made it perfectly clear he doesn't ever want to get married or have children, has never been in doubt. So, why then, does George keep picking women to date who are so obviously at the stage in their lives when they're looking to settle down and have kids? And more to the point, did these women, who have included French kindergarten teacher, Celine Balitran, British TV presenter, Lisa Snowdon, reality TV star, Sarah Larson and Italian presenter-turned-actress Elisabetta Canalis, really think they could have changed his mind about marriage?

Now enjoying a ‘fun fling' with former wrestler and bit-part actress, 31-year-old, Stacy Keibler, the glossy blonde is the latest in a long line of ‘types' that Oscar winner George dates for a year or two, and then tires of when they either mention the ‘M' word (marriage) or the dreaded ‘C' word (children).

e+ delves into the reasons behind George's pattern of dating and dumping…

 ‘Work always comes first'
"I'm actually a much better ex-boyfriend that I am a boyfriend," admitted George back in 2000, a year after his split from Celine Balitran, revealing that he still helped his ex out, despite their break-up. "She… came [to LA] for me. So, I felt it became something of my responsibility to make sure that… she had a great place to live… had cash."

And the actor has always been completely honest about his approach to life: Career comes first.
"I love working. I love being on a film set, trying to make something special. It is a very selfish life," admits the Ocean's Thirteen star. "It means my relationships seem to last between two and three years. At that point, these independent women think it is time to call it a day. They see me travelling round, putting work first, writing, directing, acting." He adds, "I don't blame them for wanting more from a relationship."

Women think he'll change
Pals and fans of George can all point to the exact moment when his last relationship, with Italian TV presenter, Elisabetta Canalis, hit the skids - when the 32-year-old declared in an interview in June, "I am a firm believer in marriage, in the future I will be married."

Having raised the subject George has always been very clear on, it surprised no-one that, just weeks later, George and Elisabetta split. And Elisabetta seemed not to have learnt from her predecessors, as, soon after Celine told Paris Match in an interview, "… it is obvious to me that, in a love story, there is marriage and children," the pair also parted ways.

'He's married to his mates'  
With a circle of close friends that includes Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger and Cindy Crawford, George's pals are a major part of his life.

Calling Renee "one of my dearest friends", George is also rumoured to be the godfather to Nicole Kidman's daughter, Sunday Rose; and having lived in the walk-in wardrobe of one of his non-famous pals when he first moved to LA, the actor is often to be found motorbiking around Malibu on weekends with friends.

"His friends are very important to him," said Celine. "He's had the same ones for 20 years. George has the rare quality of not forgetting people that were there to help him from the beginning."

Is Lisa the one that got away?
Having dated British TV presenter, Lisa Snowdon, on and off for five years from 2000 to 2005, the pair was said to have split after she refused to move to LA.

"We're friends," says 39-year-old Lisa. "I got back with George a couple of times… But you do have to realise you split for a reason." And the reason appeared to be her career - "The hardest thing was the perception that I was going out with George to further my career," she said. "In fact, work almost totally dried up."

But the still single Lisa has recently changed her mind about her future, making her once again the perfect partner for George.

"I don't believe every man has a moral obligation to settle down and have a family," she insists. "I used to think that was all I wanted in life - get married, have kids - but things just haven't gone that way and now I'm genuinely confused." Adding, "One morning, I just declared, ‘I don't think I want children.' My friend was, like, ‘Me, too.' And that was us."

Who is Stacy Keibler?
The 31-year-old Baltimore native has had numerous jobs, starting with a role as a magazine fitness editor, reality TV star (coming third in the second season of Dancing with the Stars), bit-part actress in US sitcoms including How I Met Your Mother and Chuck - and finally a stint as a lingerie-wearing wrestler.

At 5ft 11 and boasting 42-inch legs, Stacy has featured in Maxim's Hot 100 list, FHM's 100 Sexiest Women list and has twice been approached to pose for Playboy - she said ‘no'.

"They have a lot of friends in common and run in the same circles," said a pal. "George is enjoying spending time with Stacy, but he just got out of a relationship. This fling is purely for fun."

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''Nothing embarrasses me,'' Rancic says of baiting George Clooney and his Italian girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis at the Golden Globes.