They recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary but George and Amal Clooney’s relationship is once again under the spotlight amid concerns they haven’t been seen together in a month.
Now a source close to the couple tells New Idea the high-profile couple, who share 2-year-old twins Ella and Alexander, appear to be living very separate lives.
WATCH HERE as George Clooney gets real about having kids at 58.
“George and Amal have been spending increasing time apart over the last few months,” claims the insider. “Amal is concerned about her husband’s busy work schedule, which could have a knock-on effect on the kids. She doesn’t know if she can keep following him around the globe and unsettling the children any longer.”
Last week, George began production on his new Netflix film Good Morning, Midnight, which sees him taking up the director-producer role as well as starring in the UK-filmed drama.
Meanwhile, Amal remained in New York where she was photographed last week looking strained and tired. Now the source warns this is “a very telling sign”, especially as the couple’s main home has previously been their nine-bedroom country mansion in the UK, where Amal’s career is largely based.
It appears the human rights lawyer could be worried that her marriage is feeling the strain of their demanding careers.
“She’s told pals that George isn’t the man she married and she’s feeling increasingly distant from him – admitting how they even fought on their wedding anniversary, which ended in tears.”
Earlier this year, reports were circling that the couple’s marriage was struggling and they could even be facing divorce.
“George and Amal have been arguing over their varying lifestyles – and rumours of a rift have been going around for months,” a source told Radar Online. “She’s all business, he’s all play. They’re like oil and water. They don’t mix – and there’s talk of a possible custody fight over the twins.”
It was alleged the couple were already living apart, with Amal and the twins relocating to the family’s Lake Como home although George later denied the report.
Earlier this year, when the actor talked about how much time his children were spending in Italy, it prompted concern that this could be confirmation of a potential separation.
He said: “Because [the twins] are going to spend a lot of time growing up [in Italy], Italian is going to be one of the languages they learn. Already they’re saying their ABCs in Italian and in English.”
Yet during an appearance on the Ellen show, he stressed how much he admired his wife, describing Amal as an “incredible woman” and joking that their children “obviously got my wife’s brains”.
Whether or not the couple are facing a split, it won’t be the first time the 41-year-old has stood her ground with her famous husband.
Last year, after George was reportedly in a scooter accident, it was claimed Amal had warned her husband not to ride scooters. “She blew up at him after the accident but he kind of smiled and shrugged it off,” the source claimed.
Now, the couple appear unable to agree about where to take their relationship next, according to the insider.
“Amal said right now she’s existing in the marriage and neither of them are happy. George has urged her to consider marriage therapy but Amal says until she sees George trying to make changes and put her first, she’s not interested in making the effort either.”
Amal takes the kids!
With her sister, Tala, in jail for drink-driving, Amal would no doubt be supporting her family through this difficult time.
The Strait Times in Singapore reported that Tala Alamuddin Le Tallec, 47, pleaded guilty on October 14 to drink driving, using a car without a Singapore Class 3 driving license and driving without insurance.
Tala, who is a permanent resident of Singapore, was sentenced to three weeks in jail, as well as being disqualified from driving for four years after her release.
Amal is said to be close to her sister, who has four children, and would no doubt step in to help Tala and her husband if they asked to her to take the kids and look after them, just until Tala was out of prison and back on her feet.
For more, see this week’s New Idea – out now!