In an act of media self-immolation, Maria Shriver reportedly ignited the media firestorm that revealed husband Arnold Schwartzenegger’s love child infidelity. But it was a terrible price to pay to get even for his philandering.
The cost was intense media scrutiny and pain for her four children. But Shriver was hell bent on getting back at Arnold and was “hysterical” with anger, according to gossip site TMZ.
Although Arnold was the first to go public with a statement and the couple tried to paint an amicable face on the break up of their 25-year marriage, Maria was the catalyst from the beginning.
Schwarzenegger, 63, and his wife Maria Shriver, 55, announced on May 9 that they were separating and a week later, Schwarzenegger revealed that he had fathered a child out of wedlock
Shriver had reportedly confronted long-time maid Mildred Patty Baena about the child, who was born within a week of her own son, and then confronted Arnold.
Once she learned the truth, Maria initially decided to call her own press conference, but friends reportedly convinced her to leak the story instead to the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
Shriver first found out about Schwarzenegger’s lovechild in “late April or very early May,” according to TMZ.
Baena had worked for the family for 20 years and was close to Maria. But for at least 10 of those years, she was conducting a torrid affair with the sperminator.
Shriver set out to uncover her estranged husband’s double life by hiring a private investigator, apparently to determine whether rumors are true that he has fathered other children.
In a shocking revelation, actress Jane Seymour told CNN that she had heard from a close source to the ex-California governor, that he had fathered at least two other children.
So far, Baena has steered clear of the media spotlight. But she reportedly has hired a law firm, Jacobson, Russell, Saltz and Fingerman in Los Angeles based law firm, which reportedly has been dunning media outlets with letters railing about inaccuracies.
“She’s very disturbed about the extent to which certain persons have come forward claiming to be in the know or to possess knowledge about the current situation, when in fact they do not and have been estranged from Miss Baena for many many years,” Baena’s lawyer, Michael Saltz, told The New York Post.
