George Clooney Says ‘I Do’ After Years Of ‘I Won’t!’: How Amal Changed His Heart And Mind [Video]

After years of saying he would never get married, 53-year-old George Clooney is set to marry Amal Alamudden today in Venice, Italy. Yes, Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor is taking the plunge after over two decades of George professing it wouldn’t happen.

But wait, we need to rewind this just a bit. Actually, George said he wouldn’t get married “again.” George was actually married, which he says most people don’t even realize. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Clooney reminds us that he was married in 1989 to Talia Balsam, who he loved for years after they met while co-starring in a play.

According to Vanity Fair, George’s marriage to Talia was in trouble a mere three years into the relationship.

“It was a very tough time, and in the middle of it all I had a bleeding ulcer and I was really sick.”

Because of his illness, Clooney had gained a significant amount of weight, so in addition to being physically unhealthy, he was also miserable emotionally. This led to their divorce in 1992.

“I probably—definitely—wasn’t someone who should have been married at that point. I just don’t feel like I gave Talia a fair shot. I was responsible for the failure of that marriage.”

Shortly after the divorce, Clooney made it publicly clear that he would never marry again, which became his motto over the years. Barbara Walters used her probing tactics during one interview in 1995 asking George how he “knew” he wouldn’t ever be married again. His response was, “Because I wasn’t very good at it.”

It seems that he was holding true to his motto over the many, many years even with many, many girlfriends. George just hadn’t found the “right” girlfriend.

In 2006, when People Magazine declared George Clooney as “The Sexiest Man Alive,” he was once again asked if he had changed his opinion about getting married one day. He held himself true to his slogan as he answered.

“Things could always change, but it’s not a consideration right now. The truth is I’m really happy. The things that are a drag in my life are so outweighed by the things that are great. I have families that I spend my days with, and friends I spend my days with, and people I care very much about. I get to do what almost no one gets to do. My life’s really good.”

In 2008, George boldly spoke out once again about his stance on marriage and where it stood in his life, according to Today.

“I don’t expect to ever get married again or have children. I am never at home and every woman gets sick of it. If I was them, I would never put up with me for long, and they don’t. I do begin to wonder, ‘Am I going to be relegated to these three-year relationships for the rest of my life?”

Little did George Clooney know what — or who — was waiting down the pike for him that he had yet to meet. The love of his life.

It must have become a real sore spot for Clooney to be constantly asked about his personal life, and it makes one wonder if he even dreaded doing interviews knowing that subject would most likely be broached.

It’s no wonder that, while being interviewed by Rolling Stone in 2011, he was clearly tired of having to answer the question when it came up yet again.

“I was married. I love that, ‘Will he get married?’ I don’t talk about it because I don’t think about it. I don’t ever question other peoples’ versions of how they live their lives or what they do. I understand that it’s a subject of interest for people. But sometimes it exists only because it came up years ago. It becomes this conversation piece that constantly resurfaces.”

But George’s perspective on love and marriage completely changed in September 2013 when he met Amal Alamuddin in Italy. And exactly one year later, George is marrying his beloved Amal in Venice.

The two reportedly met through a mutual friend at a charity fundraiser, according to The Insider. George and Amal were seen a handful times in public over the course of few months, but made a public debut in February as they walked the carpet for the premiere of Clooney’s Monuments Men.

In March, the couple took a grand vacation, which included a wildlife safari in Africa. The very next month, George sweetly proposed to Amal over a romantic meal he had prepared for her in his home.

While George is obviously beaming with happiness over the true love he has found, he decided to make it very public during his acceptance speech at the Celebrity Fight Night Gala in Florence. It is apparent that George is head over heels in love with Amal.

“I met my bride-to-be in Italy. And I will be married in Italy soon — in a couple of weeks — in Venice, of all places. And, I guess in closing, I’d like to also say to my bride-to-be, Amal, that I love you very much. And I can’t wait to be your husband.”

Every female absolutely melted in the room at that moment. That is what every bride-to-be wants to hear from her soon-to-be husband, especially from one who had professed for years never to marry again.

It just goes to show that true love can change a person’s life completely, and when least expected. George just had to wait to find the right one for him. He won’t have to wait much longer. George and Amal will be married today in Venice.

[Photo Credit: Foxnews.com, eonline.com, celebrity.yahoo.com, People.com]