THE secret behind the breakdown of one of America's most unlikely power marriages was revealed yesterday when Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted fathering a child with one of his wife's longest-serving household employees.
Mr Schwarzenegger, 63, a bodybuilder who went on to conquer Hollywood before entering politics, told his wife Maria Shriver, 55, about the child after he stepped down as Governor of California in January.
The child was born more than a decade ago, he said in a statement. The mother is understood to have worked for Schwarzenegger and Shriver for 20 years, before leaving in January when she received a severance payment.
Ms Shriver, a niece of John F.Kennedy, moved out of the mansion she shared with Mr Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles shortly after he told her of his infidelity. Last week the couple announced that they had separated after 25 years of marriage.
"This is a painful and heartbreaking time," she said in a statement yesterday.
"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. I will have no further comment."
She had been credited with lending her husband the political credibility that his Hollywood action-hero image would never provide - even though she hails from one of the Democrats' most celebrated clans and he ran as a Republican.
She also vouched for his personal integrity and behaviour towards women, crucially during his first campaign to become Governor in 2003 when more than a dozen women claimed that he had groped them.
The accusations of sexual misconduct "show why really good people don't want to go into politics anymore," she said at the time.
Mr Schwarzenegger, who has long been troubled by tales of womanising, initially denied the alleged affair but later apologised. He is thought to have taken financial responsibility for the child while the mother worked in his home.
In a statement he said: "I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses."
Ms Shriver, who was forced to give up a career as a television journalist when her husband ran for office, is said to have been devastated by the news.
The couple, who have four children, had guarded their privacy but there had been persistent rumours of marital stress.
In 2009 Shriver was reported to have considered ending the marriage, but decided against it when her mother died. This year, she was again pondering a split when her father died in January. In a recent video on YouTube she sought advice on how to "handle transitions in life".
"It's so stressful to not know what you're doing next. People ask you what are you doing and then they can't believe that you don't know what you're doing," she said.
Since leaving office, Mr Schwarzenegger has been trying to revive his acting career, focusing on a new film in the Terminator franchise.
Yesterday he appeared to expect renewed media scrutiny. "While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not," he said.
In recent months he has travelled the globe, commanding high fees for speeches. He has also participated in a White House summit on immigration reform, written at length of his admiration for David Cameron and announced a new cartoon superhero to be based on his life.
Ms Shriver is being courted by television executives keen to employ her as a host.
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