Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver might’ve ended their marriage after 25 years of togetherness, but the two were once very much in love. If ever something took that smile off her face or dimmed the spark in her eye, Schwarzenegger didn’t rest until he brought it back. In his book Total Recall, Schwarzenegger detailed how he went to great lengths to do just that. As Maria Shriver is the niece of the Kennedys, she always took an active part in the election campaigns. Back in 1980, Shriver was assisting her uncle Ted Kennedy, who once was the public’s favorite.

Naturally, Shriver was shattered when the final results were far from their expectations. Looking at a “sad and depressed” Shriver, Arnold Schwarzenegger decided to do something to cheer her up.

Arnold Schwarzenegger took Maria Shriver away from the depressing atmosphere

In his book Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed how Ted Kennedy’s loss affected Maria Shriver. He recalled that “…Maria was sad and depressed.” Schwarzenegger had seen Shriver “put her heart into the campaign.” He had also watched from the sidelines and realized how draining the entire thing was for her. So, despite the loss, Arnie tried to reassure Shriver through his words. He constantly told her she had done a great job, but nothing seemed to work.

He added, “I used all the skills I had to cheer up Maria. I whisked her away to a vacation in Europe, where we had a great time visiting London and Paris and going all around France. Soon Maria stopped feeling like a beaten-down campaign worker, and her enthusiasm and sense of humor returned.”

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These little details from Shriver and Schwarzenegger’s time together show how much they once loved and cared for each other. It is only natural for one to wonder why everything ended between the two.

What went wrong between the two?

In 2011, Maria Shriver pulled the plugs on her marriage with Arnold Schwarzenegger. During her marriage, there were many rumors of Schwarzenegger’s affair with his co-stars. However, the former First Lady of California always turned a blind eye to it. But that year, the rumor was not related to his co-stars.

It turned out that Schwarzenegger had an illicit relationship with one of their house help over a decade ago. During that time, Schwarzenegger had unknowingly fathered a child. This time for Shriver, it wasn’t just a rumor, as Schwarzenegger himself confessed just before the news broke out. After this, Shriver called it quits.

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Though their union saw a not-so-pleasant end, there were times when Arnold would go to great lengths to bring a smile to her face.