TERMINATOR star Arnold Schwarzenegger has split from his wife of 25 years.
Maria Shriver, niece of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, left their mansion in Brentwood, California, several weeks ago and moved into a Beverly Hills hotel.
In a joint statement, the couple said: “We are living separately while we work on the future of our relationship. We are continuing to parent our four children together.”
US reports claim former California Governor Arnie, known for his movie catchphrase “I’ll be back”, ? is begging Shriver, 55, to reconsider.
Her decision comes after she posted a bizarre video on a website in March.
Looking tired and emotional, she admitted to being “in transition”, adding how it was “so stressful not knowing what you are doing next”. She added pointedly: “How did you find your transition, personal, professional, emotional, spiritual, financial, how did you get through it?”
Sources claim she wanted to leave Schwarzenegger, 63, two years ago but put it off when her mother Eunice died, and again when her father Sargent Shriver passed away earlier this year.
It is thought she struggled to cope with the scandals which emerged during Schwarzenegger’s governorship campaign in 2003 when six women accused him of sexual misconduct over the previous 30 years. Three claimed he grabbed their breasts, while another said he reached under her skirt and touched her bottom.
The actor admitted at the time: “I have done things that were not right, which I thought then was playful.”
The Austrian-born former Mr. Universe, 63, and Shriver, a TV journalist, met in 1977 at a charity tennis tournament and married in 1986.
She put aside her career to support him as governor until he left office in January, although originally she was upset at his decision to run.
Despite the split, the couple had brunch with their children Katherine, 21, Christina, 19, Patrick, 17 and 13-year-old Christopher on Mother’s Day in Santa Monica, and met up on their 25th wedding anniversary last month.
But signs of the rift were evident in the pair’s Twitter posts. Arnie failed to mention Maria in his frequent tweets from tours to Brazil, Nigeria and France.
Shriver posted three updates on the day of their anniversary without mentioning the milestone.