Arnold Schwarzenegger said his ex-wife, Maria Shriver, despised the idea of running for governor of California and thought a political campaign would ruin their family.
On Wednesday, the “FUBAR” actor announced in his documentary “Arnold” that he would not be nominated unless Shriver was “100 percent behind”.
According to People, “I was sitting in a hot tub with him and I was like, ‘What do you think of my running for governor?’ I said,” he continued, according to People. He went crazy. I almost felt like I was hyperventilating.
According to Schwarzenegger, Shriver thought a political campaign would “drag” their family into the mud, so he “backed out”.
However, the former journalist came to light just before Schwarzenegger announced his intention to appear on “The Tonight Show” in 2003.
“The morning of ‘The Tonight Show,’ Maria put a note under my door that said, ‘If you decide to run, I’ll say this, and if you decide not to run, here’s what I’ll say,'” the bodybuilder-turned actor recalled. “This is the first time I felt Maria was open to the idea.”
Despite Shriver’s initial hesitation, he was no stranger when it came to politics. In fact, he was the nephew of former US president John F. Kennedy.
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The “Terminator” star was sworn in as California’s 38th governor, eventually sacking Gray Davis. He continued to serve two terms before stepping down in 2011.
But Schwarzenegger admitted that becoming governor was “very difficult for my relationship with Maria and the children.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, the actor detailed the moment he told Shriver about his 1996 affair with their former maid, Mildred Baena.
During a marriage counseling session in 2011, he was reportedly asked a “very specific” question at the request of his then-wife.
“He wants to know if you are Joseph’s father,” the counselor wondered, referring to Baena’s son, born in 1997.
The former governor says that his “heart stopped” at that moment, but decides to tell the “truth” and admit that he is Joseph’s son.
Despite her honesty, the 67-year-old was “openly crushed” by the confession and soon filed for divorce.
Schwarzenegger is the father of Joseph (25), Katherine (33), Christina (31), Patrick (29), and Christopher (25).