“I Was Face Down in the Mud”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Opens Up About His Mental State After His Affair With Housekeeper Became Public in 2011

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been in the limelight since his bodybuilding days. The Austrian Oak’s bodybuilding victories, his dating life, and his marriage to the Kennedy princess Maria Shriver were all covered by the media. But the rock bottom in Arnie’s life was when his affair with housekeeper Mildred Baena became public. 

Despite almost a decade after the turmoil that led to Schwarzenegger’s separation from then-wife Maria Shriver, the public still recalls the incident, and media houses question him about it. The Terminator icon recently elaborated on his mental state during that hardship in his new self-help book. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger almost gave up

The Austrian Oak is known for his willpower. Arnie never restrained from lifting heavy weights at the gym for a ripped physique or performing deadly stunts on the film sets. His risk-taking attitude won him California’s governorship in 2003. However, the 76-year-old crumbled in guilt when his affair with Mildred Baena became public and broke his marriage. 

Despite restraining from elaborating about the incident in his three-episode Netflix docuseries Arnold, the Governator opens up about his thoughts after the incident in 2011 in his new book Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life. “I was face down in the mud, in a dark hole, and I had to decide whether it was worth it to clean myself up and start the slow climb out, or to just give up,” he wrote in his book, according to People.

The utmost damage has been done to his 25-year marriage with Maria Shriver, with whom he has four children. The former First Lady of California decided to separate from Arnie in 2011. But the duo resolved to be on good terms for the kids’ sake and still celebrate all occasions together. “It’s been a long road to repair those relationships,” he revealed in his book. But how has Arnold Schwarzenegger evolved in the past decade?

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The Austrian Oak overcame the difficult road

After the affair hit the tabloids, Schwarzenegger publicly apologized for disappointing his followers. He moved steadfastly in his path to normalize things around him with Shriver’s help. Arnie even said, “My chapter with Maria will continue on forever. Even though it’s a different relationship, there’s no reason for me to feel anything other than love for her.” Schwarzenegger started dating Heather Milligan in 2013, and the couple is still going strong.

On the career front, after his political stint, Schwarzenegger is back to movies and, in his late 70s, spreading the fitness formula through his newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club. He is the Chief Action Officer of Netflix. Now, his first self-help book is aimed at directing youth towards success.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a man of steel. Despite childhood hardships, multiple heart surgeries, and a deep personal crisis, the 76-year-old ensured to move past the obstacles to leave an impact on the world. Arnie is inspirational. Don’t you think so? Let us know in the comments below!

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