Celebrity News

Clooney, fiancée both have family link to TV news

He’s a Hollywood actor, and she’s a British humanitarian lawyer, but George Clooney and fiancée Amal Alamuddin actually have a common family link — TV news.

Clooney’s dad, Nick, was a popular TV newsman in Cincinnati, Columbus, Lexington, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

Alamuddin’s mom is a recognized TV talker, too, although a world away in the family’s native Lebanon.

Baria Alamuddin, foreign editor of the Arabic newspaper Al Hayat, is a regular TV news analyst, offering insight on Mideast affairs for CNN, Al Jazeera, CNBC, BBC and Sky News.

She has interviewed some of the biggest movers and shakers in the world, including former President Bill Clinton, British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Hussein of Jordan, the Daily Mail said.

Baria Alamuddin has said she believes she plays a role in linking the moderate Muslim world to the West.

“I speak on behalf of moderate Muslims who are being cast aside in this war against terrorism,” she once said.

The bride-to-be’s dad, Ramzi is a retired professor of business studies at the American University of Beirut.

George Clooney and Talia Balsam were married from 1989 to 1993.WireImage

Amal Alamuddin, 36, reeled in the world’s most eligible bachelor by impressing him with her smarts and independence, sources have said.

She is an adviser to Kofi Annan, the special enjoy to Syria, and has represented Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

“[Clooney is] with someone who is a very accomplished attorney. She isn’t someone who is pursuing a career in acting or entertainment. She’s on his level,” a source close to the couple said this year.

In the past, the 52-year-old actor has gone for arm-candy babes, including actress Kelly Preston, actress Elisabetta Canalis, student Celine Balitran and wrestler Stacy Keibler.

Clooney also had been married to actress Talia Balsam from 1989 to 1993.

He famously said he never wanted to marry again, but he and Amal are telling friends they’re set to wed after less than a year of dating.