One of the most powerful, and unlikely, political pairings in America has fractured with the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have separated only weeks after he ended his term as governor ofCalifornia.
The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the split, said Shriver had moved out of the couple's Brentwood mansion after they had led almost entirely separate lives for several weeks. Since he stood down as governor, the former bodybuilder and actor has been trying to rekindle his career in entertainment, while Shriver has been pursuing her charity activities.
Their 25-year marriage brought together a couple that at face value was strikingly diverse. Schwarzenegger became a household name through a combination of chutzpah, charm and sheer muscle bulk that propelled him into stardom with the Terminator film trilogy. Shriver was always a more cerebral personality, using her innate strength as a member of the Kennedy dynasty – her mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the sister of John F Kennedy and her father Sargent Shriver made a failed bid for the vice presidency in 1972 – to build a more humble career as a TV news anchor. The political differences between them were underlined in 2008 when Schwarzenegger, a soft Republican, backed John McCain, while Shriver, true to her family roots, came out strongly in favour of Barack Obama.
But the fusion of Hollywood with the Kennedys was a potent cocktail, one that proved useful when Schwarzenegger ran for governor in 2003.
Without Shriver's backing, he might never have served two terms in the post, which is ironic as she had serious qualms about him taking up the post.
A week before the election, in which he stood against the sitting Democratic governor, Gray Davis, Schwarzenegger became embroiled in a sex scandal.
The Los Angeles Times reported that six women had come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment, alleging that he had fondled their breasts or buttocks and made lewd comments. On the day he was forced to apologise to "those people that I have offended", his wife appeared on stage next to him. Her intervention was seen as crucial in stabilising his campaign in its final days and securing his victory.
The factors behind their current separation are not known. All the couple would say in a statement was that "after a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer we came to this decision together". They said that they were remaining focused on parenting their four children.
Shriver alluded to difficulties in her life a few weeks ago, when she posted a video on YouTube in which she invited people to advise her on her future. "I'm in transition. It's so stressful to not know what you are doing next. How did you find your transition, personal, professional, emotional, spiritual, financial? How did you get through it?" she asked.
She also tweeted this week that looking at the iconic photograph of Obama in the Situation Room of the White House during the raid on Osama bin Laden, in which the president looks diminutive and scared, "got me thinking: is the model of masculinity changing in America?" It is hard not to interpret that as some reflection on her husband, a former Mr Universe.
Whatever happens to their marriage – there is no talk of divorce as yet – the pair are likely to continue on divergent paths. Schwarzenegger has plans for a new Terminator film and is making a comic book series and TV show of the character.
Shriver, meanwhile, is concentrating on her annual conference to forward women's power as an agent of global change.
The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the split, said Shriver had moved out of the couple's Brentwood mansion after they had led almost entirely separate lives for several weeks. Since he stood down as governor, the former bodybuilder and actor has been trying to rekindle his career in entertainment, while Shriver has been pursuing her charity activities.
Their 25-year marriage brought together a couple that at face value was strikingly diverse. Schwarzenegger became a household name through a combination of chutzpah, charm and sheer muscle bulk that propelled him into stardom with the Terminator film trilogy. Shriver was always a more cerebral personality, using her innate strength as a member of the Kennedy dynasty – her mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the sister of John F Kennedy and her father Sargent Shriver made a failed bid for the vice presidency in 1972 – to build a more humble career as a TV news anchor. The political differences between them were underlined in 2008 when Schwarzenegger, a soft Republican, backed John McCain, while Shriver, true to her family roots, came out strongly in favour of Barack Obama.
But the fusion of Hollywood with the Kennedys was a potent cocktail, one that proved useful when Schwarzenegger ran for governor in 2003.
Without Shriver's backing, he might never have served two terms in the post, which is ironic as she had serious qualms about him taking up the post.
A week before the election, in which he stood against the sitting Democratic governor, Gray Davis, Schwarzenegger became embroiled in a sex scandal.
The Los Angeles Times reported that six women had come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment, alleging that he had fondled their breasts or buttocks and made lewd comments. On the day he was forced to apologise to "those people that I have offended", his wife appeared on stage next to him. Her intervention was seen as crucial in stabilising his campaign in its final days and securing his victory.
The factors behind their current separation are not known. All the couple would say in a statement was that "after a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer we came to this decision together". They said that they were remaining focused on parenting their four children.
Shriver alluded to difficulties in her life a few weeks ago, when she posted a video on YouTube in which she invited people to advise her on her future. "I'm in transition. It's so stressful to not know what you are doing next. How did you find your transition, personal, professional, emotional, spiritual, financial? How did you get through it?" she asked.
She also tweeted this week that looking at the iconic photograph of Obama in the Situation Room of the White House during the raid on Osama bin Laden, in which the president looks diminutive and scared, "got me thinking: is the model of masculinity changing in America?" It is hard not to interpret that as some reflection on her husband, a former Mr Universe.
Whatever happens to their marriage – there is no talk of divorce as yet – the pair are likely to continue on divergent paths. Schwarzenegger has plans for a new Terminator film and is making a comic book series and TV show of the character.
