Sarah Larson: How I met George Clooney

Sarah Larson reveals how she really met George

From cocktail waitress to George Clooney's girlfriend, Sarah Larson really is living the dream. But, the model says, she'd actually met Clooney before they started dating last year.

It's been widely reported that the pair started going out after she caught his eye when serving at the Ocean's Thirteen premiere at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas last June.

But, the upcoming model says, they actually met much earlier.

'It was on his birthday three or four years ago at Whiskey at [Vegas's] Green Valley Ranch,' Larson says, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal.

The actor was with a group of pals, including Whiskey Bar owner Rande Gerber (Cindy Crawford's husband). 'I was with some friends. We were all dancing, taking pictures, being silly.'

At the time, Larson worked as a cocktail server at the venue – but she was dating someone else.

Then, when Clooney arrived in Vegas for the Ocean premiere last summer, 'he heard I was working at Moon [nightclub].' The actor tracked her down, she says, and 'we hung out.' A month later, he invited her to go to Italy.

Not only is George, evidently, a romantic, he's also very supportive of Larson's career – and her aspirations to be a model. The stunner recently walked the runway for Pucci and Ashley Paige. Of Clooney's commitment to her career, Larson said: ''Your boyfriend better be. If they aren't, you gotta kick 'em in the butt and walk away.'

CLICK HERE to read our exclusive interview with George Clooney.

CLICK HERE to see more pics of the couple on the red carpet.