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.