Maria Shriver is opening up about a difficult chapter in her life, and how it was her son, Patrick Schwarzenegger, as well as the rest of her children, who played a significant role in helping her navigate and overcome the emotional challenges of her "brutal" divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The author of ‘I Am, Maria’ shared her thoughts during an interview with People, highlighting the strength and support her children provided during that difficult time, offering her emotional stability and guidance. “I was in no emotional shape to write a book. I was barely able to get out of bed,” she stated.
Maria was “consumed with grief” at the time, as she had also suffered the death of her parents in 2009 and 2011. “All hell seemed to break loose. My First Lady [of California] job came to an end. My father died. And then came another devastating, life-altering blow: my twenty-five-year-long marriage blew up,” she stated. “It broke my heart, it broke my spirit, it broke what was left of me.”
The former journalist thanked her kids for the “grace, valor, and courage” they showed in that moment. “I was consumed with grief and wracked with confusion, anger, fear, sadness, and anxiety. I was unsure now of who I was, where I belonged. Honestly, it was brutal, and I was terrified,” she explained.
Maria reflected on the lessons she learned after overcoming the situation. “I’ve made lots of mistakes. One of them was tying my self-worth to my achievements,” she stated. “Another big mistake was thinking that someone outside of me could guarantee my safety, my worth, and my peace.”
“I’ve also had to come face to face with other misguided beliefs—about aging, about being alone,” Maria said about her previous relationship with the actor. “I used to believe that if you didn’t have a partner, you must be unworthy and unlovable. I’ve learned that nothing could be further from the truth,” she concluded.
Arnold Schwarzenegger on divorce and co-parenting with Maria Shriver:
The Hollywood star says he is “very proud” of how they have handled their divorce, after going through some difficult times. Arnold revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that the divorce was “very difficult in the beginning” but “eventually” they moved on.
“I love my wife. She and I are really good friends and very close, and we are very proud of the way we raised our kids. Even though we had this drama, we did Easter together, Mother’s Day together, the Christmases together, all birthdays - everything together,” he explained to the outlet.
“If there’s Oscars for how to handle divorce, Maria and I should get it for having the least amount of impact on the kids,” Arnold said about co-parenting their kids after the divorce, which was finalized in 2021 after going their separate ways 10 years ago.