Arnold Schwarzenegger Still Has Love for Ex-Wife Maria Shriver: ‘It’s a Different Relationship’

Though Arnold Schwarzenegger finalized his divorce from Maria Shriver in 2021, the FUBAR actor still has “love” for his ex-wife.

“We never left the [first] chapter,” he told People in September 2023. “Because remember, it’s not like we had a feud. We didn’t have a fight. It’s just my f–k up, right? She said, ‘OK, this is what it is,’ and then she decided to make a split, so it was her decision. But the fact is, we always made it very clear that the kids should not suffer because of that.”

Arnold, 76, married Maria, 67, in 1986. Their marriage came to an end in 2011 once the former professional bodybuilder publicly announced that he fathered a son named Joseph Baena with housekeeper Mildred Baena.

The former couple share kids Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher and put their personal differences aside to attend family events.

“So everything is kind of just as if we’re together but we have separate lives,” Arnold continued. “And she has her things, her relationship, I have mine, but we always communicate about the kids, about the holidays, about birthday parties and Mother’s Day parties and Christmas. My chapter with Maria will continue on forever. Even though it’s a different relationship, there’s no reason for me to feel anything other than love for her.”

Currently, Arnold is dating Heather Milligan, a physical therapist. The pair first met in 2012 after he underwent shoulder surgery. Heather, 48, aided the Pumping Iron star in his recovery as he prepared for his role in 2013’s Escape Plan.

“Any football players or baseball players, any athlete, I always send them to her, because she’s the only one that really knows what they’re talking about,” he said of his leading lady. “So, I went to her, and then after my therapy was finished, after I was finished with the movie, I called her back and took her out for lunch to say thank you. And then one thing led to the next.”

While Arnold has been very open about his relationship with his girlfriend after his divorce, Maria has kept her love life pretty private. The journalist revealed she visited a convent after their split for advice on how to move on.

“The Reverend Mother there said to me at the very end, she said — and I actually have written about this, but I haven’t shared — she said, ‘I think you came here looking for permission,’” Maria told Hoda Kotb during a February 2023 episode of the “Making Space With Hoda Kotb” podcast.

She continued, “I think the word permission … I had never given myself permission to feel, to be vulnerable, to be weak, to be brought to my knees and the world did it to me,” the mom of four reflected. “And then I was like, ‘OK, God, let’s go. I’m going to take this and learn everything I can about my role and what I need to learn.'”