The latest bombshell revelation that Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered an illegitimate child with a member of their household staff reveals the painful heartbreak Maria Shriver is facing. INSIDE EDITION has the latest.
Maria Shriver stood by her man, again and again.
At a rally for Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial campaign in 2003, Shriver said, "You can listen to people who have never met Arnold, or who met him for five seconds thirty years ago, or you can listen to me."
Now the question is, was she in the dark about Arnold Schwarzenegger's love child for all these years, or looking the other way to maintain the facade of a fairy tale marriage?
The Los Angeles Times reports that Shriver only learned about Schwarzenegger's illegitimate child in January, and promptly moved out of their Brentwood mansion and into a Beverly Hills hotel.
But others say, "It's not like Maria Shriver didn't know what was going on."
Roger Friedman, of showbiz411.com, writes, "I'm sorry to say that the Kennedys' history of sex and lies continues into this generation."
Laurence Leamer, author of The Kennedy Women, says Shriver tried to forget about the problems in her marriage by losing herself in her work.
"Like many of us, when she has to deal with personal problems, you work harder and harder and don't think about it. That's what she was doing for a number of years," said Leamer.
Rumors about Schwarzenegger's infidelities have been circulating for years. He was forced to address them during his first campaign for governor in 2003, when more than a dozen women said he had groped them. That's when Shriver defended her husband on Oprah.
Oprah said to Shriver, "They said, 'Well, you know, she's a Kennedy woman, and they always look the other way.' "
Shriver said, "I am my own woman. I have not been, quote, 'bred' to look the other way."
At that point, Schwarzenegger's love child was around 2 years old. Did Shriver know, even then, about the child's existence?
Her supporters say, regardless of when she knew, Shriver deserves our compassion. Kathie Lee Gifford, whose own husband acknowledged cheating on her, spoke out on the Today show.
"I think the best thing the press could do is not talk about how Maria has been humiliated. I can't stand reading that after one of these kinds of events because she didn't do anything wrong. He humiliated himself," said Gifford.
And everyone's hearts are with the estranged couple's four children, the youngest of whom is 13.
Psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz told INSIDE EDITION, "Children of divorce are already struggling. Children who find out that the divorce is because one partner has cheated on the other face an extra hurdle—that of betrayal, and how can you trust. And how do you hold onto both of your parents as good people."
Meanwhile, Americans are rallying around Shriver on INSIDE EDITION's Facebook page.
"[Arnold] had a beautiful wife and life in his hands and dropped it all," said Vicki.
Caroline adds, "There's no end to his ego."
