Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Maria Shriver


Miss Shriver moved out of the couple's gated canyon estate near the Pacific Ocean in Brentwood, Los Angeles, USA a few weeks ago and went to a hotel in Beverly Hills.
She was said to have been unhappy for some time but reportedly struggled with the idea of ending the marriage because of her Catholicism.
The situation was said to have been exacerbated by the former governor's decision to return to the film industry.
In a joint statement the couple said: "This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us. After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion, and prayer, we came to this decision together.
"At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship. We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the centre of both of our lives."
Sources told the celebrity news website TMZ that Miss Shriver had become a "lost soul" and a "shell" of her public persona because of unhappiness in her marriage.
She was said to have complained about her husband's ego, but he is reportedly trying to win her back. One source told the website: "He could not be sweeter now that she's left him."
Miss Shriver, 55, is a member of the Kennedy family Democratic political dynasty. She is the daughter of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who was a sister of President John F Kennedy. Her father was the late Peace Corps founder and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Sargent Sriver.
She previously worked as a television reporter and was introduced to the Austrian-born bodybuilder by NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw at a charity tennis tournament in 1977. They married nine years later on Cape Cod and remained together throughout Mr Schwarzenegger's rise to Hollywood stardom.
When he turned to politics in 2003, standing for the governorship as a Republican, Mr Schwarzenegger faced down several allegations of sexual harassment.
In a scandal that became known as "Gropegate" he was accused of having sexually harassed several women over a 25-year period, six of whom came forward with their personal stories.
They included Anna Richardson, a British television presenter, who claimed the star fondled her breast when she interviewed him at the Dorchester hotel in London in 2000.
The presenter went on to sue Mr Schwarzenegger and his aides for libel after they suggested she was the instigator of the incident. The case was settled out of court.
Mr Schwarzenegger acknowledged having behaved "badly" to women in the past and apologised, saying he would be a "champion for women" in office.
Miss Shriver stood by her husband, appearing with him at a press conference and helping propel him to the governorship. Despite being a life long Democrat she also campaigned for him again when he was re-elected in 2006.
During his seven years in office the couple and their children – now aged 14, 18, 20 and 21 – never moved to the state capital Sacramento and the governor commuted by private jet.
Miss Shriver became probably the most high profile first lady in the history of the "Golden State," running an influential annual women's conference and winning widespread plaudits for promoting community programmes and research into Alzheimer's.
After finishing his second term as governor in January this year, amid low poll ratings and a yawning budget deficit, Mr Schwarzenegger, 63, intends to return to the silver screen in a fifth instalment in the "Terminator" series.
In recent months he has jetted all over the world, including to France to receive the Legion d'Honneur, and the couple have rarely been seen together.
Their 25th wedding anniversary was on April 26 but they made no public comment.
Miss Shriver appeared in an internet video to supporters in March without her wedding ring. She said: "It is so stressful to not know what you're doing next. I'd like to hear from other people in transition. How did you get through it?"

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