“Never Going to Be Able to Escape Him”: Despite Marrying Four Times, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s First Girlfriend Made a Riveting Confession in 2003

Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s initial years in America were a whirlwind ride on both sides. While he saw bad days financially, he could also see himself in the land of his dreams, somewhere he could achieve all his dreams, from bodybuilding to acting and later on to politics. In 1969, he met a then waitress at Zucky’s Deli, Barbara Outland Baker. Their relationship lasted 6 years, but unfortunately ended soon after Schwarzenegger won his 6th Mr. Olympia title. Years later, Baker realized just how pivotal that relationship was and that she could never avoid him for her entire life.

In 2003, Barbara Baker, then married to her 4th husband, gave an interview where she talked openly about the relationship she had with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the time they spent together, and how she started to believe that he was the one for her. It was until all came crashing down for both of them. But little did she know then that he was forever going to be a part of her life in some way or another.

Barbara Baker and her husband’s unexpected brush with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fandom in Europe

In 2003, Barbara Outland Baker spoke to Oliver Poole of The Telegraph about her life with and after Schwarzenegger. After discussing all details, she said to The Telegraph in the end, “We thought: ‘Oh my God, are we never going to be able to escape him?’ Is there anywhere in the world now not in the shadow of Arnold?”

This happened as Baker was on holiday in Europe with her 4th husband John around that time. They were visiting Germany, a place where Schwarzenegger was particularly very popular, and as they stopped at a petrol station, a young boy came up to them. The boy, upon enquiring where they were from, was delighted to know they were from California.

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The boy told them, “‘California! Hollywood! Arnold Schwarzenegger! Arnold Schwarzenegger passed through here yesterday!'” This was the moment Barbara Baker and her husband John realized that Schwarzenegger is omnipresent in their lives.

They were a strong couple for a while until they weren’t

This interview was in 2003, and Barbara and Schwarzenegger had a relationship from 1969 to 1975, roughly. However, even as recently as June 7, 2023, Baker made an appearance in Schwarzenegger’s life. Upon the release of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Netflix docuseries ‘Arnold’, Barbara Baker once again narrated what it was like when she met him for the first time. “He was handsome, he was magnetic, he was charismatic, he was just different”, said Baker in Episode 1 of Arnold.

Baker obviously fell in love with him back then, and for a long while it looked like the two of them are going strong. However, determined to make tough and big choices in life, Arnold Schwarzenegger eventually stepped away from it to focus on his next goal, movies.

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