Arnold and Shriver to part

THEIR 1986 marriage on Cape Cod united the princess of an American political dynasty, Maria Shriver, and the gap-toothed muscle-clad movie star famous enough to be known by one name, Arnold.

But yesterday, Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife issued a joint statement saying that “after a great personal and professional transition” for both of them and after a “great reflection, discussion and prayer” they were separating.

In many ways, their marriage was a pairing of opposites. Her uncle was a United States president; his father was an Austrian policeman. She was the rising star of a network TV news show; he was the star of Pumping Iron. He was a Republican with a soft spot for Richard Nixon; her family was a pillar in the nation’s Democratic establishment.

They got a spokesman to inform the media that they would be “working on the future of their relationship while living apart” and that they would continue to bring up their four children together.

The break-up comes four months after Schwarzenegger ended a bumpy two-term run as California governor, a job his wife never wanted him to pursue.

Since then the actor-turned-politician, 63, has been fashioning a role as an international advocate for green energy, giving speeches and lining up work in Hollywood.

Ms Shriver, 55, has guest-edited an edition of Oprah Winfrey’s magazine but also talked about the stress of changing roles after serving as California’s first lady.

The former governor tweeted frequently during his recent travels to Brazil, Nigeria and France, but Ms Shriver was not mentioned in his online updates from the road. Ms Shriver, also active on social networks, posted three updates on her Twitter page on the day of their 25th wedding anniversary, April 26, but did not mention the milestone.

About a month before the anniversary, Ms Shriver wrote on her Facebook page that she was going through a transition in her life.

“As you know, transitions are not easy. I’d love to get your advice on how you’ve handled transitions in your own life,” she said in a video posted on YouTube.

“It’s so stressful to not know what you’re doing next. People ask you what are you doing and then they can’t believe that you don’t know what you’re doing,” she said.

While Schwarzenegger was in office, Ms Shriver and the couple’s children never moved to his base in Sacramento, preferring their secluded estate a few miles from the Pacific Ocean.

Ms Shriver, the daughter of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, left her job as an NBC News correspondent after Schwarzenegger took office.

In a 2009 speech at the University of Southern California, Schwarzenegger alluded to the powerful influence Ms Shriver had on his life.

He said when people ask him the secret to success, “I say, number one, come to America. Number two, work your butt off. And number three, marry a Kennedy.”