Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver met at the 1977 Robert F. Kennedy Celebrity Tennis Tournament. Daughter of Seargent Shriver and Eunaice Kennedy, Maria Shriver, was also the niece of former POTUS John F. Kennedy. While poverty and the desire to achieve greatness fueled Schwarzenegger’s ambition, Shriver had different motivations. All her life, the renowned journalist felt she needed to live up to the standards of her incredibly influential family. When the two got to know one another, Shriver surprised the bodybuilding legend.

In his 2012 autobiography, the seven-time Mr. Olympia winner wrote about every significant detail of his life, including his relationship and marriage with Maria Shriver. So when did the Hollywood action icon realize Shriver was the perfect girl for him?

Maria Shriver’s take on ambition surprised Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver dated for years before getting hitched. Early in their relationship, Schwarzenegger learned that Shriver was “wise about public perception.” Arnie had told his then-girlfriend about his plan to do a shoot for Playgirl magazine, but Shriver explained how “the whole thing was a mistake.”

Schwarzenegger followed her advice. “Maria was the first girlfriend I ever had who didn’t treat my ambitions as an annoyance,” wrote Arnie. Instead of stifling the former Mr. Universe’s goals to become a movie star, Shriver steered him in the right direction. She also didn’t feel “Schwarzenegger’s ambition interfered with her vision of the future.”

In his book, the five-time Mr. Universe wrote that his ex-wife’s vision of the future was not the “the stereotypical all-American life.” According to Schwarzenegger, “Maria’s world wasn’t small like that. It was gigantic.” Maria Shriver also strived for greatness, fueled by everything her grandfather, father, mother, and uncles had achieved.

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“I’d finally met a girl whose world was as big as mine,” the bodybuilding legend wrote in Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story. He also revealed Shriver would encourage him to achieve “even bigger dreams.” In fact, she once put her ambitions on hold for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Maria Shriver’s once made a huge sacrifice

Despite her qualms about politics, Maria Shriver supported her ex-husband during his election campaign. However, she made the greatest sacrifice after the Terminator actor won the California gubernatorial recall election in 2003. While Maria Shriver was at the peak of her journalism career, she put it on hold.

As the First Lady of California, the author couldn’t continue her reporting career. While it took time for her to come to terms with the decision, Shriver didn’t hesitate to walk away from a career she was passionate about.

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Maria Shriver’s ambitious nature surprised Arnold Schwarzenegger. He knew he had found the perfect girl when she supported his ambitions instead of stifling them.