After tying the knot in 1986,Maria Shriverand Arnold Schwarzenegger became one of Hollywood’s most respected couples.
Schwarzenegger was an iconic action-film star and Shriver was a respected journalist.
Schwarzenegger’s jump into politics made him a bigger star, but it put his marriage under the microscope.
Over the years, there have many headlines about Schwarzenegger’s behavior and many eyebrow-raising details about their marriage.
Let’s take a look at a few of the red flags that popped up over the years.
The actor claimed that Nielsen wanted something more when filming wrapped, but he declined.
Herecalledtelling Nielsen, “It was fun over there, but it wasn’t serious.
I’m already involved with the woman I want to marry.
I hope you understand.”
He quickly designed a ring and was planning to ask the big question.
That following year, the two married.
“I did not marry the boy next door.
I did not want to.
People at first were like, ‘You married the other side of the tracks!’
They have trouble with the class thing.
You are supposed to live a life that they project onto you …,” Shriver toldVanity Fairin 2011.
Unfortunately for Schwarzenegger, getting Shriver on board wasn’t so easy.
When the actor initially proposed the idea to Shriver, she was less than enthusiastic about the idea.
She flipped out," Schwarzenegger recalled.
“I almost felt like she was hyperventilating.”
Eventually, Shriver came around and he announced the campaign on The Tonight Show.
“I realized that if I said no, I’d be stopping my husband from achieving his dream.
It was a catch-22.
So I told Arnold that he should do what he wanted to do …” (viaPeople).
PerVanity Fair, Shriver was credited with helping him understand issues on the other side of the political aisle.
However, the loyalty to their different political parties was still very apparent especially during election time.
They each attended the events separately, to throw their support behind each candidate.
As theLos Angeles Timesreported at the time, over 15 women accused the actor of groping them.
Schwarzenegger’s campaign initially denied the allegations before offering an apology.
“But now I recognize that I offended people.
Shriver appeared at multiple rallies and passionately defended her husband’s character.
Friends and colleagues were shocked by her public role in his campaign.
Per theNew York Times, they expected her to keep a low profile.
Instead, Shriver played a key role and helped target female voters for her husband’s campaign.
“I wouldn’t be standing here if this man weren’t an A-plus human being.”
His past behavior with women was investigated and his past interviews were dissected thoroughly.
One interview that didn’t sit well with female voters was a 1988 interview with Playboy.
In the interview, the actor and bodybuilder bluntly stated that he hates when women wear pants.
“Maria would never wear pants, believe me.”
“She knows she looks better in dresses.
And I don’t like to see a queen in pants,” he added.
Despite her own political alignment with the Democratic Party, Shriver was known for being objective.
However, during Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign, a crisis arose.
How could she continue reporting for “Dateline NBC” with a husband who’s running for office?
Shriver initially took a leave of absence, with hopes of returning.
However, her colleagues felt like it would create a conflict of interest.
NBC president Neal Shapiro initially shut down those claims and noted Shriver’s reputation as a journalist.
“Just because her husband ran for office doesn’t mean it should wipe that slate clean.”
“[Neal Shapiro] said, ‘Extend your leave.’
Then I went back for a month.
There was an article in the paper saying I was politically involved, and it went downhill from there …
I had been in TV a long time.
I knew what a conflict was.
I knew what my integrity was.
I said, ‘We can work this out.’
They said no,'” she explained.
“This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us.
“At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship.”
Days later, came the real cause of their divorce.
TheLos Angeles Timesreported that Schwarzenegger had fathered a child with their housekeeper more than a decade ago.
Upon learning the news, Shriver moved out of the family home.
Upon reflection, when Schwarzenegger left the office, he and Shriver had been living separate lives.
The longtime actor was beginning to prepare a comeback in the film and was off traveling the world.
When their 25th wedding anniversary passed, the couple did not acknowledge it publicly.
In it, she appeared without her wedding ring and hinted at a transitional moment in her life.
The actor confirmed his affair with the housekeeper which resulted in a son, Joseph Baena.
“Maria and I went to counseling once a week,” he recalled.
She wants to know if you are the father of Joseph.'
I thought my heart stopped, and then I told the truth,” viaUs Weekly.
The housekeeper had worked with the family for over 20 years before the scandal broke.
“I had an affair in ‘96,” the Kindergarten Cop star noted in the series.
Schwarzenegger explained that he wasn’t positive that Joseph Baena was indeed his child.
How do you keep this a secret?”
In 2011, Mildred recounted the moment she revealed the secret to Shriver.
“Maria would ask if I needed to talk to her, and I kept saying no.
Finally, she asked point blank.
