Here's the story of how they met, according to an interview Celine gave to Paris Match in December 1996:
The irresistible doctor of E.R. has the highest regard for Celine, an attractive French student he met in a Paris restaurant.
Still sunday night, George Clooney, alias Dr. Doug Ross, admited that he was unable to engage and could not spend more than six days with the same woman. The six million French television viewers of E.R. (on France 2) the thirty-million Americans, and many others is 66 countries in the world, must not believe this confidence. Last July, the seductive 35-year old pediatrician, next to be the hero of "Batman & Robin" with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman, met the woman of his life. Her name is Celine, she is a 23-year old and she is French. Without hesitation, this law student, who works nights in a fashionable bar, walked away from Paris and her studies to join her star in Los Angeles. With devotion, she tells Dany Jucaud the story of a mutual love at first sight.
Paris Match: Do you know the date you met?
Celine Balitran: I know it was in July, I don't know the exact. George knows. He knows everything: the date, time, and what I was wearing. He was working on "The Peacemaker" then with Nicole Kidman. He had a week's vacation and didn't know where to go. Since he wasn't well-acquainted with Paris, he decided to bring two of his friends.
PM: What were you doing at this time?
CB: To make ends meet, I worked from 8 p.m. to early in the morning as a hostess at the Barfly. I sat people, dealt with VIPs. From the time I was 16-years old, I've always had little jobs: waitress, hostess, model...
PM: Take us to the big night.
CB: George arrived in the restaurant with two friends, Waldo and Tom. He didn't have a reservation, and the restaurant was packed. I told him there would be less than an hour's wait. The manager came to me: "Figure it out, find them something at once. The big guy over there is a well-known American actor, George Clooney. You've never heard of him?" Honestly, no.
PM: You never watch television?
CB: Never. But, I admit that when I saw him come in, I completely cracked. He smiled at me, I smiled at him. We saw each other and we couldn't take our eyes off of each other.
PM: Were you dazzled by his looks?
CB: No, by his gaze. I was captivated. It was the most handsome expression in the world. An intense, incredibly warm gaze.
PM: Which one of you spoke first?
CB: Him. For several nights, neither of us said a word. I was very busy, I didn't know where to turn anymore. George came back the next day with his friends. When I saw him come in, my heart skipped a beat. We exchanged some words like two teenagers. Recently, he admitted to me that he had been scared. Me too. He didn't know what to say to me. He didn't dare ask me to dinner...
PM: And after?
CB: He came back every night up to his departure.
PM: Did you have someone in your life at the time?
CB: No. Not for four months prior. Neither did George. We say that we were destined to meet. It was spelled out. That can seldom be said. Why did he come to Paris? Why that night? Next, the manager of the restaurant invited George and his friends to spend the weekend at his place, a house in the country. He also invited me. The next day, we went for a walk together in the woods. Again nothing was going on between us. We were walking, side by side. Suddenly, he grabbed me by my arms and kissed me. At that precise moment, I knew that he was the man of my life. The next day, he left for America.
PM: And you were dejected...
CB: I was all worked up. But he called me every night. Two weeks later, when he had some more time off, he came back to Paris to see me. We spent a dream week together. I showed him the things I loved about Paris; "le Marais", "les berges de la Seine"...We lived on a cloud. The day before he left, he wanted to know if I would accept his invitation to accompany him to the Emmy Awards on September 8th, in Los Angeles. I said yes immediately, without thinking for one-second.
PM: So then you left for Los Angeles. You'd already been there before?
CB: I had never stepped foot in America before. First, there was the shock of the house. It's lool like a norman house : eight bedrooms, a fireplace in every room, a basketball court, a pool, a forest, a greenhouse, deer, a pig, coyotes... George showed me LA like I had shown him Paris. But on the Harley Davidson. It was great. That night we went for a romantic evening to eat in a little cafe. We have a passion for Japanese and Italian food.
PM: Going back to the first soiree...there on the arm of one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, you became excited?
CB: A nightmare! I had a sublime princess-like dress, something I had dreamed of all my life, the man I loved at my side...Eh well, instead of being in seventh heaven, I was shaking like a leaf in the limousine. I was panicked by the idea of having to face all those photographers. I didn't know how to walk, how to behave. George didn't know what to do to comfort me. I spent the night in a fog. When, after eight days, I had to leave him and return to Paris, it was a veritable heartbreak. We called each other twice a day. After five days, we cracked. We realized we couldn't live without each other.
PM: What did you do?
CB: I liquidated everything the next day. I gave my furniture to my best friend, forwarded my mail, got my papers in order...and informed everyone I was moving to the United States. I left for George's house with three big suitcases; my clothes and my books.
PM: How did your parents react?
CB: At first, I didn't speak to them about my relationship. I knew very well what they would tell me: "Celine, watch out, this is an actor, he will hurt you." But, when they saw how happy I was, they supported me in it.
PM: You introduced him to them?
CB: Not yet. But it will be soon. Since my father speaks a little English, they've already talked on the phone.
PM: How were you received by George's friends?
CB: They adore me. His friends are very important to him. He's had the same ones for 20 years. George has the rare quality of not forgetting people that were there to help him from the beginning. The result: the house is always full. Me, I love that. I have always really liked it like that. Each of them is more bohemian than the other.
PM: Going back, what shocked you most about Hollywood?
CB: The simplicity of the stars compared to French actors. George especially. I have met Arnold Schwarzenegger many times, he is brilliant. He's a bear with the soul of a child. Tom Cruise, too. He's an extraordinary father.
PM: What's your life like in LA?
CB: George works very hard. He's finishing "Batman" and at the same time, he's working on E.R. from Monday through Thursday. He leaves the house around 6:30 a.m. and returns around 7:00 p.m.
PM: What do you do with your day while he's working?
CB: For about a month and a half now, I've been working. I'm an assistant teacher in a kindergarten. I teach 5-year olds to read and write. I have always dreamed of being a teacher.
PM: I thought you wanted to be a lawyer.
CB: Me, too. Four years of law was enough for me. I've turned the page without regret.
PM: Are you ever tempted to become an actress?
CB: Oh how horrible! My first priority when I came here was to find a job. It was out of the question for me to just sit here. I have always supported myself. I couldn't see myself having to ask George for ten dollars to buy a pair of pantyhose.
PM: You were able to speak English before going?
CB: Well enough. At 18, I spent a year in England as an au pair. George doesn't speak a word of French. He promised me that he would learn it for when he meets my parents.
PM: How do you spend your evenings?
CB: Either we go to a restaurant or we stay home for a romantic evening for two. And we cook. I love to cook. I learned some from watching my mother. Every Sunday morning, before a family lunch, we do our bit. George's specialty is pasta "à la bolognaise". Me, I prefer sauce meal. The other night, I made him Beef Burgundy and a chocolate cake. He was happy. I have a real dream life.
PM: The most common, but inevitable, question: Are you going to get married?
CB: We've never talked about it. For now, we're not thinking about it. But, it is obvious to me that, in a love story, there is marriage and children. For now, we live only in the present.
PM: Are you jealous?
CB: George hasn't given me any reason to be. If, in the course of an evening, he sees that I am a little lost, he does everything to reassure me. I always have the feeling that he's afraid of losing me. He, on the other hand, is hyper-jealous. If someone looks at me a little too long, he will quickly let him know that he should look elsewhere.
PM: In a word, you're crazy about him ?
CB: We really live a fairytale. Besides, my friends call me Cinderella. We're madly in love. I didn't know it was possible to love like this. I feel like I've met my other half. When he has five minutes for himself, wherever I am, he comes to be with me. George is an unusual man. Profoundly nice. He is even more tender-hearted than me. Everyone that knows him, adores him. He is always tuned in to others. Full of tact. It is really rare. I confess that I don't know of one of his faults. Every woman dreams of having a man like him in their life. I am very lucky.
PM: Do you have a picture of him in your wallet?
CB: No. On the other hand, he has one of me in his sportbag that he is never without.
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