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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Nick Clooney Says The New Grandkids 'Look Beautiful'

Courtesy WCET-TV
Nick Clooney

Nick Clooney stopped pacing the hallway in his Augusta home on Tuesday, after he and wife Nina saw their newborn grandchildren, Ella and Alexander Clooney, via Skype.

"They Skyped two hours after the babies were born -- George and Amal with the babies. We got to see them," said Nick Clooney, 83, by phone from Augusta.

Credit UNICEF UK
Amal Clooney

"Amal is absolutely a superwoman. She conducted the whole thing (Skype session) herself."

The infants were born 90 seconds apart, he said. Each weighed five pounds, he said. The mother and infants are doing fine.

"They all look beautiful," he said.

Nick said he didn't know why or how George and Amal picked the names Ella and Alexander, or if they were part of an Alamuddin family tradition.

"I like both names. But I didn't ask them about that. I asked more mundane things," he said.

George and Amal announced the births Tuesday.They have not released any photos.

Knowing that Amal was due in mid-June, Nick said he had "been pacing the halls the last couple of weeks. Just like any time we became grandparents. It's very nerve-racking."

It had been a while. George's older sister, Ada Zeidler, has a son and a daughter, ages 26 and 22.

Late last week, George and Amal left their new 17th century mansion in the village of Sonning, on the River Thames, about  75 minutes from London, Nick said. They stayed in a hotel next to the Londay hospital until Tuesday noon, when Amal went to the hospital and doctors induced labor, Nick said.

"We finally got a good night's sleep for the first time in 10 days last night.  I went to bed last night thinking of them. That was their first night on this planet as parents," Nick said.

For many years – actually more than two decades – Nick wasn't sure that George would ever be a dad. George, 56, had repeatedly told interviewers that he didn't want children and would never marry again. (He was married briefly to actress Talia Balsam in 1989.)

"I keep telling him, 'What's going to happen someday is that some woman is going to come along and knock your socks off, and that will be the end of it. You'll say, Geez, how did I miss out on all of this?' "

Then he met Amal Alamuddin, now 39, a Lebanese-British lawyer, who shared his passion for fighting human rights abuses.

"We were visiting George in Italy when they met. Friends of George were coming to his place, and they brought Amal with them. Nina and I answered the door. Later that day, I looked at Nina and said, 'Look out! This could be the one!' "

It was clear by the end of the evening that George had an interest in Amal, and the interest appeared to be mutual. He had found his soul mate.

"Absolutely, no question about it," Nick said. They married in September 2014 in Venice, Italy.

"She's gorgeous. She's kind. She's thoughtful. She's inclusive. And she doesn't have a vain bone in her body. She has no vanity."

Despite the 22-year wait, Nick and Nina do not have plans to travel to England to see the newest grandkids.

"We'll leave that up to the parents. They have a lot on their plate. They have their hands full," Nick said.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.