Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver

Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver (sharpradio.com)

This is such a sad, sad, sad news…

Yesterday, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announced they were separating.

The couple, who were just celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary on April 26, had decided to go separate ways.

They released a joint statement about their separation, saying; “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.”

The statement continued, “We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the center of both of our lives.”

55-year-old Shriver is a former TV journalist and member of the Kennedy dynasty. She married 63-year-old Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-born bodybuilder/action movie hero in 1986.

The “Terminator” actor then became a Republican California governor in 2003. The couple had four children; Katherine, 21, Christina, 19, Patrick, 17, and Christopher, 13.

Shriver had actually never wanted her husband to enter politics, but supported him when he did.

She maintained her own identity when her husband entered politics, though she gave up her job at NBC. And since his term as California governor ended in early January, Schwarzenegger has traveled around the world, with Shriver nowhere in sight.

In the last two years, she had lost her parents, Sargent and Eunice Shriver, and her uncle Ted Kennedy. Schwarzenegger had been essentially run out of Sacramento after a disappointing term as California governor, and reportedly will be returning to action movies.

They entered their marriage with separate fortunes and legacies, and the script for whether and how they end that union largely depends on decisions they’ve already made.

They also said in their statement that they have not filed formal court papers. It is unknown whether the pair have any agreement that would divide up their assets, which include their secluded estate in Los Angeles and a home near the coast in Malibu.

And although Schwarzenegger has faced allegations of misbehavior toward women, friends insist there’s no third-party, no smoking gun.

We wish them both all the best, despite the sad decision they had to make. Be strong, Maria and Arnold!

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