First Published: October 11, 2013 5:17 PM EDT Credit: Getty Images
Caption Monika Jakisic, George Clooney
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Maybe the second time’s the charm. It was reported last week that George Clooney has returned to the arms of Croatian model Monika Jakisic, but it appears their relationship is already deepening.
According to a source, the pair — who previously dated — aren’t just casual, they’re seeing each other exclusively.
“Monika and George introduce each other by their first names when they’re out and around other people, but they are definitely not dating other people,” a source, who is close to their situation, told Access Hollywood, when asked if the pair refers to each other as “boyfriend” and “girlfriend.” “Monika has met his parents and Monika’s mom knows about George.”
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The Oscar winner and the 33-year-old brunette have known each other for a while. They were originally introduced 10 years ago by Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber in the South of France. Contrary to reports that Monika and George were on-and-off over the years, the source claimed the two really dated just once before. Things went down a romantic road again in May while George was filming in the UK.
“They met up in London,” the source said. “They went out to dinner. They had a romantic meal and they smooched all night. George definitely made the first move, so to speak.”
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The source goes on to say that the lovebirds communicate through phone and text every other day and George has flown Monika to Lake Como and Los Angeles. He’s even introduced Monika to his other famous friends, like Bruce Willis and Renee Zellweger. George previously dated actress Stacy Keibler, who announced their breakup in July.
Outside of Hollywood, Monika and George have plenty of shared interests. Both are committed to charity work (Monika is a survivor of the Croatian War of Independence and speaks five languages) and the couple loves basketball (Monika is a huge Michael Jordan fan). As for why the pair reconnected romantically, the source believes it is because they have an undeniable connection.
“When you have so much in common with somebody, you always think of them. They talk a lot and they have friends in common. It genuinely feels natural between them. I know Monika cares for George and I certainly think he cares for Monika,” the source said.
George’s new squeeze is no stranger to the celebrity romance department. Reports claim she previously dated Barry Bonds. The source also told Access exclusively that Monika used to date Latin heartthrob Enrique Iglesias— a romance the source said George doesn’t know about.
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“It happened when Enrique was 29. Monika dated him for 8 months, but then it fizzled out,” the source explained. “She was living in London and Madrid at the time and was really close to his father, Julio.”
But now, it seems Monika only has eyes for George, whom the source describes as a loveable gentleman and a jokester all rolled into one.
“George does a lot of little things for Monika. He opens doors, helps her get on boats. He even puts food on her plate before he puts food on his! When they’re out together, George always makes sure Monika is next to him and holds her hand,” the source said.
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