Revisit Maria Shriver's Marriage With Arnold Schwarzenegger

Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger's marriage story: The pair parted ways in 2011!  

She is a journalist, author, a member of the prominent political family, the Kennedy family, and a television personality. But despite her long accomplishments and an ongoing stint in broadcast television, Shriver is more notably recognized for her famous personal life.  

Born Maria Owings Shriver on November 6, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to politician Sargent Shriver and activist Eunice Kennedy, Shriver's familial connection to politics is imposing. She is one of the few political heirs, one of the few being Jenna Bush Hager, who've laid their own paths and steered away from being a nepotism child.  

Maria Shriver Arnold Schwarzenegger's Scandalous Marriage!   

It's been over a decade since Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger parted ways as a power couple and, yet the duo's story is far from over. Maria and the Terminator actor were married for over twenty-five years when an unforgivable mistake on Arnold's part took it all down.    

The pair crossed paths in the 70s via a mutual friend and after eight years of dating, the duo got married on, April 26, 1986, in a Catholic ceremony in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Shriver and her mega-star husband went on to welcome four kids and crossed many milestones in the next few years. 

Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the governor of California two times, and Maria stood by her husband's endeavors as the first lady of California. As Arnold's term as the governor ended in 2011, so did his marriage with Shriver. The couple announced their separation in May 2011, citing that they jointly decided to move on.   

But the real tea followed after a week; the Conan the Barbarian actor, who had attracted a slew of sexual misconduct accusations as a governor, got candid about the real reason behind their split. The actor admitted to having fathered an illegitimate child with the family's longtime maid, Mildred Baena.  

Shriver's life suddenly capsized when her husband of 25 years dropped the news on her, and what shocked her more, and the rest of the world, was the fact that the former governor had welcomed the illegitimate child over a decade ago and kept it a secret.   

The Peabody Award-winning television host filed for divorce from Arnold in July 2011. And the despite the magnitude of hurt caused by Arnold, Shriver went on easy on the actor and requested joint custody of their kids. Shriver even kept an amicable relationship with Arnold and continues to have a familial bond with him.  

Maria Shriver's Ex-Husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Reflects On the Scandal!  

Shriver's ex-husband's new docuseries, Arnold, debuted on Netflix, and the actor looks back on his blissful marriage with Maria and repents his remorse. Recalling the moment when he revealed his affair with their maid to Shriver, the Terminator actor says, "She was crushed because of that."  

Schwarzenegger looks back on the scandal that ended his marriage with Shriver! 

Schwarzenegger admits to the pain he has caused to his children, parent, and especially Shriver. "I am going to have to live with it the rest of my life," he adds. While letting the bygones be bygones can be a lifetime of work, Schwarzenegger expresses his happiness over having a friendly relationship with Shriver. 

"There is nothing more important than to have a good partner by your side, and every step of the way Maria was that," Schwarzenegger says in the docuseries. The long-estranged duo's divorce was finalized in 2021; the reason behind their delayed finalization was said to be a "lack of motivation" and a "complex property settlement."

And although both Shriver and Schwarzenegger have since found other romantic partners; Shriver has been dating former Bush adviser, Matthew Dowd, and the Predator actor is in a long-term relationship with Heather Milligan, a physical therapist, the duo hasn't walked down the aisle for the second time.

Maria Shriver's Four Grown-Up Children!  

Shriver couldn't be more proud of her four kids. Despite navigating a tough personal life and overcoming the pain caused by her then-husband, everyone can unanimously agree that Shriver and Arnold have done a great job raising their four kids.   

Maria and the actor's oldest, Katherine Eunice Schwarzenegger Pratt, 33, is undoubtedly the best-known of her siblings. She is an author with several published books, mostly self-help of genre, under her belt. Katherine is famously married to actor Chris Pratt, with whom she shares two kids.  

Shriver's second child with Arnold, Christina Maria Aurelia Schwarzenegger, 31, graduated from her mom's alma mater, Georgetown University, in 2013. Christina has since studied interior architecture and also executed her skills at Gwyneth Paltrow's brand, Goop.  

Christina partnered up with her mom to co-execute Netflix's documentary, Take Your Pills, which covered her addiction to Adderall, and how she overcame the addiction. Maria's first son, Patrick, 29, is a multi-hyphenated figure like his father. Patrick is an actor, model, investor, and entrepreneur.   

Patrick's onscreen credits include The Benchwarmers, Stuck in Love, Warning, Grown Ups 2, and more. His younger brother, Christopher, 25, is the least exposed of the Schwarzenegger brood. The proud parents of two are yet to celebrate Chris's professional venture, but Maria and Arnold did commemorate their youngest's graduation, in 2020.  

Chris is of the same age as his father's affair son, Joseph, who has remained in the spotlight throughout his life. Arnold has embraced Joseph with as much fatherly love. In his Netflix docuseries, the actor says that he is proud of the man Joseph has become. Joseph has followed in his father's footsteps to become a bodybuilder and actor.  

Stay connected to Married Celeb for more.