George Clooney's Road to Marriage: Meet His Most Famous Exes

Meet the past loves of the nce considered Hollywood's most eligible bachelor.

ByABC News
September 29, 2014, 4:27 AM
George Clooney waves from a taxiboat in Venice on Sept. 26, 2014 on the eve of his wedding.
George Clooney waves from a taxiboat in Venice on Sept. 26, 2014 on the eve of his wedding.
Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

— -- intro: Just one year ago, the idea of George Clooney getting married was preposterous, even to him. But how times have changed. The longtime bachelor married lawyer Amal Alamuddin Saturday in Venice, only five months after proposing and less than a year after the couple was first linked. Their civil ceremony is scheduled for today.

But how did Clooney get here? Here are the women who had previously captured the heart of the Oscar winner.

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title: Stacy Keibler, 2011-2013text: Keibler made her big debut as Clooney's girlfriend mid-2011, and the two were inseparable for more than a year before work commitments kept them apart. Finally, Keibler pulled the plug on the relationship, though a source told ABC News that the decision "had nothing to do with kids or wanting to get married." They remain friends, and Keiber, now married to Jared Pobre, recently gave birth to her first child, a daughter.

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quicklist: 2title: Elisabetta Canalis, 2009-2011text: After a two-year relationship, Clooney released a statement that he and Italian actress Canalis had split. "It's very difficult and very personal," the statement read. "We hope everyone can respect our privacy." Afterward, Canalis said that the relationship ended because of their "personal needs." "He's been special for me," she said. "Very important, just as a father would be."media:19618462

quicklist: 3title: Sarah Larson, 2007-2008text: After meeting at his birthday party in Las Vegas, the former cocktail waitress accompanied Clooney to the Oscars and to film festivals. "George is a great guy, a wonderful person," she told Hello! magazine after their split. "We still remain friends and have kept in touch. ... I will always miss his extraordinary dance moves."media:19618515

quicklist: 4title: Lisa Snowdon, 2000-2005 (on and off)text: After Clooney met the British model while taping a commercial in Spain, the two dated on and off for about five years. "I sometimes think it will be written on my tombstone – 'George Clooney once dated Lisa Snowdon,'" Snowdon joked to the Mirror newspaper in 2013. "I'm so used to the 'George thing' that I take it all with a pinch of salt. Of course I understand the fascination. George is fit, women love him, yet he's still a guys' guy, so people are fascinated by him!"media:19618591

quicklist: 5title: Celine Balitran, 1996-1998text: According to People, Clooney met Balitran, a French law student and waitress, while he was filming "The Peacemaker." She followed him to L.A., where they dated for three years until she ended things. "She lasted as long as I think she was going to last," he told Esquire magazine at the time, adding that his work schedule also complicated things. "It was like, 'I don't really think I want to play anymore.'"

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quicklist: 6title: Karen Duffy, 1995text: Clooney's relationship with the MTV star was short-lived (though she did hit the Emmy Awards with him in 1995), but their friendship has lasted for quite a while. Not only did she go boating with Clooney and Canalis in 2010, but she also vacationed with the movie star and Keibler in 2012.media:19619030

quicklist: 7title: Talia Balsam, 1989-1992text: They dated briefly in the mid-'80s, but in 1989 the budding TV star and Balsam tied the knot in Las Vegas. "I probably -- definitely -- wasn't someone who should have been married at that point," he confessed to Vanity Fair after their split. "I just don't feel like I gave Talia a fair shot."media:19618927

quicklist: 8title: Kelly Preston, 1987-1989text: Before she married John Travolta, Preston was so serious with Clooney that they lived together -- and shared custody of a potbellied pig named Max. So what made them click? "He's got a great bod," she joked to People magazine. "She drives a Jag," he added.media:19619159