"At the time, we were just wondering, 'How do we keep this a secret?'" he is heard saying in the documentary Arnold, which will be available Wednesday, June 7 on Netflix. In this miniseries by Lesley Chilcott, Arnold Schwarzenegger recalls the day he announced to his ex-wife (from 1986 to 2011), Maria Shriver, that he had an illegitimate son with their housekeeper. The actor had an affair with their former employee, Mildred Baena, who became pregnant with him in 1996.
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A well-kept secret – until 2011. The actor evokes a couple therapy session, during which he revealed this secret to his girlfriend at the time. "Today, Maria would like to talk about one thing in particular," their therapist reportedly said. She wants to know if you are the father of Joseph (the son of Mildred Baena, born in 1997, editor's note)." Arnold Schwarzenegger's heart would then have "stopped". "And then I told the truth," he says. Yes, Maria, Joseph is my son." She was obviously devastated by this news."
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'Everyone suffered'
The hero of Terminator (1984) and Mildred Baena initially lied about the identity of Joseph's father, claiming that he was the son of Rogelio, the husband of the housekeeper. The latter continued to work for the actor's family. "At first, I didn't know he was my son, but the older he got, the clearer it seemed to me," Schwarzenegger said. The actor also assures that this liaison was his "biggest failure".
"I've inflicted enough pain on my family because of this fiasco," he said. Everyone suffered. Maria suffered, the children suffered, Joseph and his mother too, everyone." Before concluding: "I'm going to have to live with this for the rest of my life." After this adultery, Mildred left her husband and the actor bought her a house in California in 2010, while supporting herself. The housekeeper had retired in 2011.
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An 'extraordinary young man'
That same year, Maria Shriver ended her relationship with Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom she had met in 1977 at a tennis match, and whom she had married in April 1986. "People will remember my successes and failures," Schwarzenegger said. I have experienced failures during my career, but this connection was a failure of a whole new dimension. I am very happy in this sad story that Maria and I were able to raise our children in such good conditions." As for his illegitimate son, who became an actor and bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger calls him "an extraordinary young man". The Daily Mail assures, moreover, that the actor still has a good relationship with Maria Shriver.
Did you say unlikely couples?
In pictures
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