George Clooney is said to have dumped his girlfriend of a record-breaking ten months, Sarah Larson, after hearing rumors that they were engaged. Clooney, 46, suspected that Larson, 29, had a hand in the engagement gossip in order to pressure him into proposing. He promptly dumped her, but took her back a few days later.

Larson is supposedly jealous of Clooney’s working relationship with Renee Zellweger, and Clooney thought that might have prompted her to start the rumor:

“He suspected Sarah leaked the rumor – hoping to push him into a proposal. So he dumped her…”

But the actor knew Sarah was jealous of former girlfriend Renee Zellweger, and he had been seeing a lot of Renee, working together on his new flick “Leatherheads.”

“George figured Sarah hinted they were engaged to keep everyone away – especially Renee,” said the insider.

“Sarah broke down in tears trying to convince George she didn’t plant the rumor, but he didn’t buy it.”

The angry actor gave the beauty her walking papers, but within a few days, called…

“George ended up getting back together with her – on one condition. He made it clear – no wedding ever – and she said she understood.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, April 14, 2007]

This is George Clooney we’re talking about, so if he shows up at events with a woman several months in a row of course there are going to be rumors that he’s engaged. I’m just surprised these two lasted this long. If it wasn’t for that motorcycle accident that made Clooney think about his own mortality I doubt they would have made it past the four month mark.

Another story that tends to corroborate this is that Clooney was seen flirting with another woman on March 5 at a bar at a hotel. In Touch reported:

George “was really friendly with everyone, but one brunette was just his type and he focused his attention on her,” says an eyewitness. “The girl was obviously into him, too.” [He] couldn’t keep his eyes off the sexy woman all night, according to the witness.

[From In Touch, print edition, March 31, 2008]

If that story about George flirting is true, it happened five days before the engagement rumors broke, so he didn’t really have an excuse and maybe he was getting tired of Larson. Still, the hot and humorous bachelor just might be ready to settle down – into a long term relationship that doesn’t threaten his finances or lifestyle.

George and Sarah are shown at the “Leatherheads” premiere on 3/31/08, thanks to PRPhotos.