After Christmas there were several reports that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver might be getting back together. Their marriage famously imploded after it came out last spring that a longterm maid of the family had a 14 year-old son with Arnold, and that she had continued working for them for 20 years, up until just a few weeks before the scandal broke. It was a mind-numbing and very public betrayal, and Maria filed for divorce in July after 25 years of marriage. Maria seemed like she was willing to forgive Arnold though, and TMZ and People reported that they had spent the holidays together with their four children and were trying to work it out. Well now celebrity mouthpiece People is saying that they’re not going to get back together. Maria has been wearing a ring on her left ring finger, but it has nothing to do with Arnold and is her late mother’s ring. That’s good news.
While Internet reports that Maria Shriver is wearing a suspicious ring on that finger fueled rumors of a possible reconciliation with husband Arnold Schwarzenegger, PEOPLE has learned there’s a different explanation.
The bling seen on Shriver’s left hand is actually her late mother’s engagement ring. Shriver, who was extremely close her mom, has been wearing the ring since Eunice Shriver’s death in August 2009.
As for rumors that Shriver is having second thoughts about divorcing Schwarzenegger, a source close to the couple denies it.
“The reports of a reconciliation are not true,” says the source.
The former couple, who announced their separation in May after 25 years of marriage, still spend quality time as a family with their four children, Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher.
Most recently, Shriver and Schwarzenegger enjoyed Christmas together with the kids at their Los Angeles home, and attended the L.A. Lakers’ season opener game that afternoon.
While it appears their divorce is still on track, “Arnold and Maria will always come together when it comes to supporting and loving their children,” says a family insider.
[From People]
So what happened? Did the holiday glow wear off and did Maria realize that all the presents and sweet talk in the world weren’t going to make her husband into a faithful partner? I get that it may seem scary to face life without her husband. She’s been making strides to do that though, and she moved out and filed for divorce. Maybe it was never true that she was considering taking him back, but I tend to believe those earlier stories.
The Enquirer has a possible alternate explanation this week for Maria’s change of heart – her family talked some sense into her. They claim that her cousin, Caroline Kennedy, and her four brothers are telling Maria that it would be foolish to take Arnold back:
“Caroline has been Maria’s harshest critic, saying, ‘Don’t do it, Maria. Don’t be a fool. Once a cheater, always a cheater,'” a Kennedy clan insider said…
“A combination of Arnold lavishing gifts on her, courting her at family dinners, spending Christmas and Christmas Eve with her, and the kids begging her to change her mind and call off the divorce has her seriously contemplating reconciliation.
“But the reaction of Maria’s other relatives has been shock and horror – and the most vocal opponents include Maria’s four brothers and cousin Caroline. They are warning her that she is just asking for more heartbreak and devastation…’
“Arnold has been working on Maria and getting their kids to put pressure on her as well. And he’s told her that she’s the only woman he has ever really loved and that he couldn’t live without her and the children.
“He’s also said that he has been so devastated by her leaving him that he will never cheat again.”
Despite Arnold’s pleas, the Kennedy relatives remain united in their opposition to a reconciliation.
[From The National Enquirer, print edition, January 16, 2012]
That’s low of him to get the kids to put pressure on her. Well at least Maria’s family is warning her about Arnold. That’s probably why we’re now seeing reports in People that they’re not reconciling. I’m actually relieved for her.
Maria is shown wearing her late mom’s ring on 11-29-11. These cute photos of Maria with her dog are from 9-27-11. She’s shown out with son, Patrick, on 9-25-11. Photos of her out with Arnold are from 2-2-11 before the split. Credit: Fame Pictures
Hmmm. Don’t the kids feel betrayed by Arnold as well? Hard to believe they’re not supporting their mom in ending it.
Also likely, and the cynic in me is strong with this one, her people did quiet research to determine what the extent of the fallout would be on the Kennedy Klan–saw it would be very very damaging and that’s why they’re all against it. This does not nullify IMHO that her closer relatives actually are looking out for her best interests, I just think it’s a combination of the two things.
Wasn’t Ahnuld stepping down from politics completely? I thought I read that somewhere. You can be sure he will never have the political support of this family again! Right?
I think he proved how he really felt about her by how he mistreated her all of those years. Can you imagine having someone living in your home who just gave birth to your husbands baby. Gross
Maria is as addicted to the fame of being a power couple, as he is. Sick.
@ Dusty – I agree with you that she’s as addicted to fame as he is. I think that’s why she purposely put that ring on her left-hand ring finger & repeatedly got herself pap’d with it. She’s worked in & with the media for decades, so she knows what message that image creates. She’s the one generating the gossip that she wants to stay in the marriage, which of course would keep her name in the media.
If she didn’t want the tabloids to print articles about how she was thinking about getting back with Arnold, she wouldn’t wear any rings on that particular finger, especially when she’s photographed with him.
She’s a Kennedy – she has her own fame and doesn’t need Ahnuld’s.
Idk if I can post this,and sorry if i cant, but in a somehwhat cheating scandal related issue, did you guys see that Tiger’s ex wife bought and destroyed a 12 million home?? My sympathy for her is gone.
OMG… I saw that wonderful house Elin had bulldozed! Unless it was infested with termites, I can not fathom why you would bulldoze a 12 million dollar home. Ever.
I found that ridiculous. I mean, you must be very wasteful and not appreciative of the money somebody else earned to buy such an expensice house just to destroy it. They say she didnt like the house. :/
Wow, for those pics even before the split, she’s wedged in the corner of the bench, as far away from him as she can get… telling?
Good eye. That is telling, non?
Maria would be a fool to take him back. She needs therapy, family TLC and time to heal her wounds. Perhaps a return to part-time (because of the kids) work would be helpful.
That’s classic. Kennedys telling women to not taking a cheater back?!!?? Ha ha! I don’t believe that for a second. Fidelity isn’t exactly a time honored tradition in that family! I could see more disagreement over reconciliation based on politics, PR, etc but definitely not on cheating.
How does Caroline’s telling Maria not to get back together with a cheater make her Maria’s “harshest critic”? I think that makes her… her cousin. And if Maria were my cousin, I’d tell her the same damn thing.
I call BS on the “fact” that Arnold is manipulating the kids to put pressure on Maria to get back together. I also think it’s possible for an estranged family to spend a holiday together – if more people were able to pull this off, there might be more well-adjusted children of divorce out there.
And finally, damn, that Patrick is good-looking. It seems to be some sort of Kennedy 2nd-3rd gen. attractiveness gene. Look at JFK Jr.
Also, @Chrissy, so the Kennedys aren’t allowed to believe in fidelity? Doesn’t seem like you’re allowing for the fact that people might learn from the mistakes of their elders.
The current generation of Kennedy men do not seem that different than their elders! I would love for any family to value fidelity … I’m just saying that I seriously doubt cheating would be a reason for them to be against a reconciliation. Being publicly caught cheating and embarrassing the family? That would be more likely (a PR angle). No matter the reason, it is sad for their kids for all this to be out and in the public eye. Maria gets huge respect from me for continuing to present a united front and getting along with Arnold for the sake of their children. That would be very hard for me to do!!
OK, here I go, to take up the Irish-American mantle, LOL.
Neither of Teddy’s sons has ever been accused of cheating, though Patrick has struggled mightily with mental illness and substance abuse.
RFK had 11 kids, so I can’t go through them all, but as I recall, there is no scandal there either. A few are dead, but several are businessmen (Max, Christopher…) Joe did get his marriage annulled, but there was no accusation of cheating. RFK Jr. had a problem with addiction as a youth, but he kicked it. He’s my favorite, so much like his dad.
We could go on, but frankly I don’t know what “Kennedy men” you’re referring to. There are a lot of public servants and prosperous (if not a little boring) men. Most of them have been married a long time and have stayed out of the news. So I don’t see the parallels.
What the hell is the matter with their kids? Why can’t they see how blatantly disrespectful he’s been of Maria all these years?
Kennedy women are breed to accept cheating husbands, murderers, rapists, drug and alcohol abusers and not only accept but support them. Maria knew all along that Arnold was a womanizer and she took him just as a good Kennedy woman does, the problem was that she found out he had a child with a maid and that was a problem, not that he cheated but the consequences of the affair with a maid. At least he did support his child not like a good Kennedy would do! Arnold can go to hell too for cheating but Maria is no victim here!
I meant to say “bred”, I think, hahahahaha
See my post above. Who are you talking about here? That’s a really absurd slam at a very large clan. Jackie, Ethel, and Joan all married into the family. Their husbands were (presumably) cheaters, but it was a different time and all those women had their own struggles. Re: Maria, I really don’t think that Sargent Shriver (Maria’s dad, for those who obviously don’t know) cheated on Eunice, and Eunice was the Kennedy. So how was she “bred” to accept cheating?
And the later generations – I won’t go through the list above, but there’s Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Kerry Kennedy, Kara These are all strong, accomplished women, and I don’t recall any scandal attached to them. Please get your facts straight.
I like the Kennedy’s too, but you are wrong about this generation they are more like the previous generation with tragedy and scandal.
Kerry Kennedy cheated on her husband, the now Gov. Cuomo of NY, with a married man. Big scandal at the time slowed his political career. Pitted two powerful political families against each other.
Michael Kennedy who died in a freak skiing accident had a long term affair with a very young babysitter.
Robert Kennedy Jr. is divorcing his second wife, she claims he cheated, but she has been arrested for DWI twice.
Joe Kennedy Jr had his 13 year marriage secretly annulled which upset his ex-wife because they had twins. She wrote a book about the whole thing.
William Kennedy Smith – accused of rape in late 1999- acquitted though and then settled a sexual harassment case in 2003
Then there is the young death, David -drug overdose, Michael- ski accident, John – plane crash, and Kara – heart attack.
History does have a way of repeating itself .
OK, yes, Michael and the babysitter. Joe – I think his wife is crazy, frankly. Did not know that Kerry cheated, that is a bummer.
However, those are issues that affect EVERY family – I defy anyone among us to say that none of our families has experienced divorce, substance abuse, mental illness. What I was really taking issue with was the blanket indictment that ALL Kennedy men cheat, that ALL Kennedy women are “bred” (!) to accept cheating.
Also, the tendency to die at a young age doesn’t reflect anything about a family at large, and certainly does not reflect an overarching moral failure – some of those deaths were reckless/accidental, some were health-related (Kara). Again, considering the size of the extended family, there are quite a lot of lucky/healthy/boring Kennedys walking around.
The Kennedy women always stand by the Kennedy men, no matter what they are accused of, rape, murder, anything. Does not matter what generation they are, they always stand by their men very proudly in court rooms, that is completely unacceptable. In comparison to what her Kennedy men have done, Arnold has done nothing!
Bleech-what a disgusting douchebag Aaahnald is! The Uber Disgusting of them all!!!
Stay strong, Maria!!! That darling poodle (?) is much more loving and emotionally intelligent that Uber Douchebag could ever be!
i think her body language in that photo with him indicates she ain’t believing what that lying a-hole is telling her.
Oh yeah, Maria should definitely take him back… I mean 25 years of lying and cheating – I’m sure he’s gotten it all out of his system now 😉
i get the sense that if not for the backlash and pressure, she would go back in a minute.
Agreed. I always believed that if this had not been made public she never would have filed for divorce. Hell I’m still not convinced that this divorce is actually going to happen. I really believe the rumors about her having second thoughts are true.
NO MARIA NO!
Jane Valdez Mitchell made a great point when she said something to the effect of “familiarity doesnt equal love.” He isnt going to be faithful if they reconcile and her children are older so she certainly doesnt need to do it for them.
Maria you deserve better and although hard to believe right now, and you are lonely and dating sounds terrible, but in time you will find someone who treats you with the respect you deserve & youll be so glad you didnt reconcile with a man who disrespects you and his children with his affairs.
I think Arnold and Maria need to just get back together.. He’s obviously wanting to continue the relationship which is very rare amongst men ahem. Anyhow, I think she needs to get back with him cause life is not promised tomorrow. That was his only affair or so I hope it was and he was man enough to try and take care of his mistake by making child support and such.. Chit happens… forgive ur husband or have an affair and call it by-gones!
Arnold is a sick man, he took cheating to a whole new level, maria is to classy to stay in the gutter with that one, slimy ex-gov. lay down with dogs, get up with fleas. run maria, just run and don’t look back.
Improbably, one of the TMZ doofuses made a good point about this: Would they be getting back together if she had had a baby with the gardener? Not a chance.
Also, I first read “I get that it may seem scary to face life without her husband.” as: her husband’s scary face. Although I always thought these two were a classic narcissist couple — they look like they could be twins, with the giant brunette heads and Frankenstein cheekbones.
Everyone must remember, this fall of his happened 14 years ago. It is really hard to have the anger over something that was not recent, and has not taken away the love that is present now. I agree with the 4 children and 25 years being quite an investment to give up. Which brings me to the media broadcasting it everywhere, in turn, has made the emotion of public humiliation and the resistance to the public’s urge to brand her a typical Kennedy wife, the greatest reason she is playing “I want a divorce” role. Maria really has too much to lose. A loving husband, an intact family, and 25 years of good memories, all over public perception, and media spin.