Speculation of trouble in paradise between golden couple George and Amal Clooney have persisted for months now, despite Hollywood dreamboat George repeatedly insisting that the pair have never had an argument. 

And after we recently reported how Amal, 47, had felt ‘not pleased’ when recently single Jennifer Lopez appeared to take her spot next to George, 64, at the after-party at the New York Library, a source now tells us how the Ticket to Paradise actor has landed yet another bombshell on his marriage – potentially pushing the pair into crisis talks. 

‘They were due to fly back to Europe next month but now George has got a bug and talked about staying there in New York to do another play, and that has Amal at her wits’ end,’ the insider says. 

‘She’s sacrificed a lot for him, moving to New York so he could fulfil his Broadway dream. One play is enough. Despite George’s best efforts to try and smooth talk out of the situation, the fact is they have been leading separate lives at times.’ 

George recently told CBS Mornings’ host Gayle King that he feels like the ‘luckiest man in the world’ and has ‘hit the jackpot’ with human rights lawyer Amal, but fans were sceptical of the smooth-talking actor’s continued insistence on all being well. 

‘Arguing is healthy. Every couple I know argues a bit – even the strongest’, wrote one, while another added, ‘No arguments? I disagree…’

However, our source says Amal’s surprising absence from the opening night of George’s highly acclaimed production, in which he plays broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow, was perhaps the most public display of discord in their marriage we have ever seen. 

Rumours of tension in their ten-year marriage reached fever pitch last month when Amal missed the opening night of George’s debut Broadway show, ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’.

George publicly made his excuses for Amal’s surprising absence, reportedly telling journalists on the red carpet that she was at ‘home with the kids’ – their twins Ella and Alexander, seven.

Our source adds, ‘George’s sudden passion for the stage, and in particular Broadway, has come very out of left field, it’s quite a shock for Amal.’

And the source says George’s latest wish to stay in New York to further raise his star on Broadway could push the couple to breaking point as Amal reportedly struggles to juggle spending time in the US with her new role as a Professor at Oxford University and her own commitments in Europe. 

They continue, ‘Amal has business in London and Europe that she needs to get back to and she’s not so sold on America as a full-time base. But this nomadic lifestyle is not something he wants to do anymore. He wants to make a go out of staying on the East Coast, while she’s happy hopping around the other continent.

‘As far as Amal is concerned, now is the time to pay attention to her and the family. George is torn between two great loves, and there lies the problem.’ 

George’s new career drive has certainly come as a U-turn for the A-lister, who in 2021 revealed how he had retired from romantic movies and wouldn’t pursue a career in politics because he wanted ‘a nice life’ following his 60th birthday. 

The double Oscar winner – who has an estimated worth of £374 million -said at the time, ‘My wife and I had this conversation when I turned 60 this summer. I said, “I can still bounce around pretty good, and we both love what we do. But we’ve got to make sure we don’t book ourselves silly.” So, part of it is just us making sure we live our lives.’ 

 After being forced to up sticks from their sprawling family home in France, which they moved into permanently just last year, our source says that Amal can’t help but feel that staying Stateside could put the future they dreamed of in jeopardy.

They reveal, ‘It was great that Amal moved over to New York with him so he wouldn’t have to be away from her and the kids, but there’s no doubt she was pretty conflicted about it. 

‘Now, Amal wants a serious talk about their next steps straight after the wrap party. The feeling is that if these crisis talks don’t happen, it really could put their future in jeopardy.  

‘The fact that he’s now talking about doing it again, before he’s even finished the first run seems a little foolhardy from a lot of people’s perspectives, Amal included.’ 

And the source says those close to the pair, who appeared not to have had so much as a chip in their high-profile marriage since they first married in Italy back in 2014, are concerned that George’s career will only widen the growing ‘gulf’ between them. 

‘The only way to produce and star in a successful Broadway show is to devote 110% and that means everything else has to take a back seat,’ the source says. 

‘It wasn’t long ago that he was talking about being mostly retired so this is a complete 180, it’s easy to see why Amal would be panicking. His kids are still young and he’s talked so much about wanting to spend more time with them. But the reality is, when he’s wrapped up in a Broadway show he has almost no free time.’ 

They add, ‘If George chooses to do another show in New York it’s only going to exacerbate that gulf. They need to do some serious soul searching as a couple and Amal wants it to happen ASAP.’