First-time parents George and Amal Clooney welcomed their twins, a boy and a girl, on Tuesday morning. After Amal gave birth to Ella and Alexander, a spokesman confirmed the newborns and their mother are all healthy and doing well. “George is sedated and should recover in a few days," the spokesman cheekily joked about the movie star.
After their opulent 2014 wedding in Venice, Clooney and his internationally renowned human rights lawyer wife became one of the world’s biggest celebrity couples. However, they chose to keep a low profile during Amal’s pregnancy, even keeping the news private for months before Matt Damon, one of Clooney’s closest friends, confirmed it. After that, Oscar-winnner Clooney, who used to be described as Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, didn’t hold back about his excitement about becoming a father. “It’s going to be an adventure,” he has said. “We’ve sort of embraced it all with arms wide open.” The 56-year-old also said on French TV show "Rencontres de Cinema”: “My favourite part is, you know, all my friends who are my age, and I have many of them, they’re already done. Their kids are all grown up and away to college and they are laughing.”
It seems Clooney and Lebanese-born Amal, 39, are planning to be hands on parents and have vowed to cut back their travels, especially to danger zones. The “Ocean's Eleven" and "Three Kings" actor frequently visits volatile regions for his humanitarian work for the UN, as does Amal for her important public-spirited work. Clooney already skipped going to Armenia last week for the 2017 Aurora Prize ceremony. Waiting for the birth of the twins, the actor, who is part of the Selection Committee, told the audience via video message that if he missed his wife going into labour, he “could never come home.”
The new family, which Ellen DeGeneres dubbed as “Ocean’s Four” on Twitter, is likely to settle in the UK, where Amal works. They have a Grade II-listed mansion on an island in the Thames in Sonning, Berkshire, which they reportedly bought for £10m. The couple has made some major renovations, including the addition of a 12-seater cinema and an AstroTurf tennis court.
What’s In A Name?
Clooney and Amal have chosen pretty classic names for their twins, a departure from the celebrity trend of giving babies names like Apple, Rocket and North West. Thankfully George didn’t get the chance to name the twins after Casamigos, the tequila company he co-owns with Rande Gerber. He had joked about it on “Entertainment Tonight,” saying: “My wife says I can't name them Casa and Amigos. That's the one thing I'm not allowed to do."
According to BabyCenter, Ella, which is originally English, is a short form of Eleanor and Ellen, which means “light” as well as “beautiful fairy woman.” The website points out Alexander is a Greek name that means “defender of men.” BabyCenter claims Ella is the twelfth post popular name for girls, while Alexander is the sixteenth most well-liked name for boys in 2017. Needless to say, they’re sure to become much more prevalent now.
