George Clooney's wife Amal says life was 'easier' before marrying him

BRIGNOLES, FRANCE: Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has reflected on how marrying actor George Clooney in 2014 transformed the balance between professional and personal life while adjusting to greater public attention.

The couple have redefined their priorities since welcoming twins Alexander and Ella in 2017, while also building a shared philanthropic mission through the Clooney Foundation for Justice and recently reflecting on how marriage, parenthood and fame have shaped their lives.

Amal Clooney on balancing public life, career and family

Speaking at a Cartier Dialogues event in Bangkok on Tuesday, June 9, Amal shared that marriage significantly changed the separation between her professional and personal life. "I used to have my work life and my personal life, and they could look quite different, and I was able to not have them mix and then I got married and that changed quite a lot," she said.

Amal initially became conscious of how public attention affected perceptions, "And at first I was kind of conscious of that one-dimensional view where I felt like, well, I can't be seen wearing this dress or doing this because I'm in front of a judge on Monday."

However, she said those concerns gradually became less important, "But you know it just doesn't matter as much as living your life, and ultimately if you're good at what you do, that is going to shine through or not."

She continued, "I wouldn't allow that factor to stop me from doing things that were important for my family or for my relationship. It was easier when I could decide what kind of exposure I got. It was something new to navigate."

Through the Clooney Foundation for Justice, they have provided legal assistance to young girls and women in underprivileged countries across Africa and other parts of the world. She specifically pointed to Malawi, where she said one in 10 girls under the age of 15 is forced into marriage, and the country has only around 800 lawyers.

Clooney previously revealed that becoming parents also changed how they approached their humanitarian work. "You can't just go swinging as you used to," he said, adding, "Amal and I both had to change our goals on where we would go. I used to enjoy going to places that were dangerous. I liked going into the Nuba Mountains and Darfur and Abyei, and there [were] war zones."

George Clooney reflects on secret behind his marriage to Amal Clooney

Clooney also elaborated on his longstanding claim that he and Amal have never argued about their marriage. When asked about the remark during an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he responded, "That's true."

As the interviewer questioned the claim after sharing that they had been married for 30 years, he explained that marrying later in life made a difference. He said, "There's a difference. I was 52. There's a reason why insurance rates when you're 16 to 25 are off the charts. It's aggression."

He continued, "I had no intention of getting married again, but I fell madly in love with the person who changed that." Clooney said meeting Amal reshaped his outlook on both marriage and parenthood.

"We have kids. I didn't want to have kids. Everything changed because I met this incredible person," he said, adding, "I'm in a much different place in life. I'm much more secure, and I am also less in the mood to win arguments. When you're young, you're trying to win everything."

Laughing, he added, "I'm not conceding. But nice try. You're going to get me in trouble with my wife."