Maria Shriver - Personal Life

Personal Life

In 1977, Tom Brokaw introduced Maria to Austrian bodybuilder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a charity tennis tournament being held at her mother's home. She married Schwarzenegger on April 26, 1986, in Hyannis, Massachusetts, at St. Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church. They have four children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher.

On May 9, 2011, Schwarzenegger and Shriver announced their separation after 25 years of marriage, with Shriver moving out of the couple's Brentwood mansion. In a message for her Twitter followers posted on May 13, 2011, Shriver said: "Thank you all for the kindness, support and compassion. I am humbled by the love. Thank you."

On May 17, 2011, Schwarzenegger publicly admitted to fathering a child with a long-time member of their household staff, Mildred Patricia Baena, 14 years earlier, and before his election as Governor of California. He confessed to Shriver only after she confronted him with the information, after confirming what she had suspected about the child, in an earlier confrontation with the housekeeper. Shriver described Schwarzenegger's admission as "painful and heartbreaking." She declined to speak further on the issue, saying: "As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal."

Shriver hired a divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser, whose previous clients include Angelina Jolie, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears, and officially filed for divorce on July 1, 2011, citing "irreconcilable differences". Wasser was hired before the news of the affair went public, a source close to Shriver told US publication People, Shriver had been meeting with her financial advisor for some months before the decision to file the divorce petition. Shriver has also hired a private investigator to investigate Schwarzenegger's financial history and his personal life, including whether or not he has fathered more than one child out of wedlock.

Shriver has purchased a new $10 million house only three miles away from her former home with Schwarzenegger in Brentwood. Although she has requested custody of the couple's two minor children, 18-year old Patrick and 14-year old Christopher, the mansions' proximity will make it easier for the boys to travel between their parents' houses.

Shriver's 14-year-old son Christopher Schwarzenegger was seriously injured in a boogie-boarding accident in Malibu, on July 17, 2011. In a joint statement, Shriver and estranged husband Schwarzenegger described it as "scary," and that "he is expected to make a full recovery." Christopher has been in intensive care since suffering a collapsed lung and broken bones in the accident.