“Not Fair to Put Your Wife in a…”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Made Sure He Had Enough Zeros in His Bank Account Before Marrying Maria Shriver in 1986

Arnold Schwarzenegger came to America in 1968 with barely any money. However, within a decade, the Austrian Oak had already become a record-setting bodybuilder, a businessman, and a millionaire. By 1982, Schwarzenegger had made a name for himself in Hollywood with Conan the Barbarian and had been dating Maria Shriver for about four years. However, the couple waited a few more years before tying the knot. That’s because Arnie understood the importance of financial stability in all aspects of life.

In his autobiography, the seven-time time Mr. Olympia revealed why he and Shriver “had been cautious about getting married.” The $450 million net-worth bodybuilding icon also revealed how he learned the role financial stability played in a successful relationship.

Arnold Schwarzenegger decided he wouldn’t compromise

“I always felt that you should wait to marry until you are set financially,” Arnie wrote in his book. He also explained why he followed this principle despite being a multi-millionaire by the 1980s. According to the bodybuilding legend, he had seen many successful people talk about a similar problem that plagued their relationships.

From world-class athletes to entrepreneurs, Schwarzenegger had heard nearly everyone reiterate the same issue. “The main problem is that my wife wants me to be home, and I need to spend more time at my job,” Arnie heard them all say. Hence, the Terminator actor believed that one should wait until the “toughest struggles,” of their career were “behind” him.

“It’s not fair to put your wife in a position where she has to ask, ‘What about me?'” Schwarzenegger wrote in his book Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story. If he had to work for “fourteen or eighteen hours a day to build your career,” then Arnie wanted to do it before marrying Shriver. However, despite the Hollywood star’s best efforts, Maria Shriver sometimes felt “invisible” beside him, albeit for a different reason.

Maria Shriver on feeling invisible

The former Mr. Universe and Shriver got engaged when the renowned journalist became the “coanchor of the CBS Morning News.” While Eunice Kennedy’s daughter would switch to a “similarly high-paying, high-profile job at NBC,” in the public eye, Schwarzenegger was much more famous. In a recent interview with Today, Shriver confessed to sometimes feeling invisible beside Schwarzenegger.

READ MORE | “Grew Up Feeling Invisible”: President Kennedy’s Niece Maria Shriver Likens Life With Arnold Schwarzenegger to Childhood in Fame Filled Family

Like he had planned, Arnie devoted time to raising their children and not abandoning Shriver because of work pressure. However, during the interview, Shriver said, “I would find myself getting angry at people who came up and didn’t acknowledge that I existed when I was standing next to Arnold.” It was only after their divorce, when she rebuilt herself, that Shriver stopped doubting her self worth.

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