Amal Clooney paid a gushing tribute to her husband, George Clooney as he received the AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute.
The actor, writer, director, producer, dad and husband is the is the 46th person to receive the accolade. His wife Amal Clooney gave a stunning speech about him before he collected the award in the Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater.
The couple are usually exceptionally private so the tribute was a great surprise for fans. Much to their delight, she gushed about their relationship, how great of a father he is to their one-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, and his achievements in Hollywood, before planting a kiss on him when he joined her on stage.
The 40-year-old human rights lawyer began the moving tribute by saying, “First, he is a gentleman. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word and in a way that seems so rare these days and perhaps even outdated.”
“It’s somehow easier for me to address a court on behalf of a detainee, than to speak publicly as I am doing for the first time tonight about my husband… I do so out of immense pride of all he has achieved. Here are a few things you may not know about [George]. First, he is a gentleman. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word and in a way that seems so rare these days and perhaps even outdated…”
“Everyone who knows him, even those who oppose him politically or who have quarreled with him professionally, will tell you, he has not forgotten his Kentucky manners. On every set I visit, I’m told by crew that George sticks up for the most vulnerable…”
“Although George modestly attributes much of the success we are celebrating here to luck, I think it’s incredible talent and character that got him here. And these attributes also make him an amazing husband and father. I met George when I was 35 and starting to become quite resigned to the idea that I was going to be a spinster. 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…”
“I couldn’t sleep when we were apart and I’m told that I would display a particular grin and head-tilt when reading his text messages or the letters he would hide in my bag. Five years later, none of that has changed. He is the person who has my complete admiration and also the person whose smile makes me melt every time.”
“My love, what I have found with you is the great love I always hoped existed. And seeing you with our children, Ella and Alexander, is the greatest joy in my life…”
“You fill our home with laughter and happiness and that’s even before the children have worked out that ‘da-da’ is Batman, a talking fox, and friends with Mary Poppins. I’m so proud of you my love. Congratulations on this great honor that you’re receiving tonight. I’m proud of you, but I also know that when our children find out not only what you have done, but who you are, they will be so proud of you too,” she finished.
Now we know what true love is!
