Mail Online has officially apologized for releasing a fabricated report claiming that the mother of George Clooney’s fiancée, Amal Alamuddin, vehemently objected to their marriage based on religious differences and beliefs. The report said that Baria Alamuddin had been “telling half of Beirut” that her daughter should not be marrying the American actor, but “could do better” by marrying someone from her own Druze sect.
Clooney, who usually ignores tabloid rumors, took to USA Today to not only harshly deny claims that his fiancée’s mother was a member of the Druze faith and condemns their marriage, but to also accuse the publication of putting those close to him “in harm’s way.”
In his op-ed piece, Clooney, 53, relentlessly shot down the entire validity of the article, asserting that “none of the story is factually true” and went further to argue that the news site has “exploit[ed] religious differences where none exist,” which he calls “dangerous.”
Mail Online, which is the world’s most-read English news site has released a statement apologizing, yet they attested that the story had indeed been “supplied in good faith by a reputable and trusted free lance journalist.”
“We accept Mr. Clooney’s assurance that the story is inaccurate and we apologise to him, Miss Amal Alamuddin and her mother, Baria, for any distress caused,” Mail Online said. The site asserts that they “have launched a full investigation” on the writer and sources in order to address the issue.
