Maria Shriver-Arnold Schwarzenegger Scandal: Shriver Steps Out

Maria Shriver must have had one hell of a week, though based on appearances, you'd never know it.

Late Monday night, news broke that estranged husband Arnold Schwarzenneger had fathered a child with a former member of the couple's household staff.

The next day, Shriver showed no outward signs of turmoil when she showed up at Chicago's United Center to support good friend Oprah Winfrey as a guest at the talk show queen's farewell show.

Looking radiant in a sparkly blue dress, Shriver told Winfrey: "You have given me love, support, wisdom and most of all, the truth."

More details that surfaced that same evening about Schwarzenegger's alleged infidelities--specifically, that the woman was Mildred Patricia Baena, who had worked as a housekeeper for the Schwarzenegger family for 20 years before leaving in January--didn't seem to get in the way of her plans, either.

Back home in Los Angeles two days later--on the same day it was revealed that Shriver had retained celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser to represent her in her split from the former governor--Shriver attended the GirlPower Awards luncheon, where eldest daughter Katherine, author of "Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone Who's Been There and Back," was being honored for inspiring young women. Shriver was also joined by her daughter Christina at the event. (Arnold Schwarzenegger did not attend).

"Maria was smiling and very proud," event planner Marsha Grant told People magazine.

"Congrats to my beautiful & brilliant daughter, @kschwarzenegger, for receiving the GirlPower Award from A Place Called Home today," Shriver tweeted Thursday, her first Tweet since the news of Schwarzenegger's love child broke. "And thank you, @LeezaGibbons, for giving one of the loveliest and most thoughtful introductions I've ever heard. You are amazing."

WATCH Katherine share her thoughts at the GirlPower Awards luncheon:

Comments

[sanfran55]

07:11 AM on 05/23/2011

There's something about Maria Shriver that smacks of Elizabeth Edwards and standing by her man until the illegit children start surfacing...Shriver was smart to "lawyer up" as she needs someone squarely in her corner, making her less vulnerable to Arnie's manipulations at a very vulnerable time.

[oldgeek1]

05:42 PM on 05/22/2011

Dear Arnold and Maria. Thank You.. Charlie Sheen

[Dianna Vickers Fase]

09:40 AM on 05/22/2011

I think the wife always "knows" though whether or not she chooses to confront it and deal with the consequences is another matter entirely. I think Maria knows her husband better than anyone, and knows who he is and what he is capable of doing. I doubt that she is surprised by anything said about Arnold today. I think Maria made choices in her life and marriage based on what was best for her and her children. If she was totally surprised, then that's saying Maria was a stupid woman and she is anything but stupid!

[sillyblueness]

03:59 AM on 05/23/2011

Really? The wife ALWAYS knows? What about a husband that has been cheated on?

I have no idea what was in Maria's mind, but from personal experience, no, the wife does not ALWAYS know. Some spouses lie and deceive quite successfully for quite some time.

Generalizations generally suck.

[Dianna Vickers Fase]

04:19 PM on 05/23/2011

When I used the word "knows" it was in quotation marks to indicate a meaning other than a standard dictionary meaning. If a wife does not have some sort of intuitive feeling that something is wrong between the couple, then I believe she is extremely naive and/or insensitive. I think it is too bad that your personal experience is that the wife does not always know and that "some spouses lie and deceive quite successfully for quite some time." It is my personal experience that the wife usually knows on some level that something is wrong. Unfortunately, many wives do not trust their own feelings in this regard. But I apologize. I should have said "generally knows" instead of "always knows." You are quite right about the use of generalizations.

[granamica]

04:24 PM on 05/22/2011

I'm on the side of the kids--all five of them.

[Rozanna]

05:27 AM on 05/22/2011

She has known about his infidelities for a long time. During the campaign for governor, many women came forward who had been sexually harrassed by Ahnold. He has a history of being a womanizer. Maria knew. I think she stayed with him for her children's sake.

[Norm]

10:49 AM on 05/23/2011

There also seems to be an assumption that she is as wealthy as her husband, which may not be accurate. She probably did not inherit Kennedy money until the death of her mother and lifestyle may have played a role in Maria staying. We assume we know the motivations of people, that they are the same as ours. This family's life bears no relation to ours, they really have nothing in common with almost anyone.

[xlntcat]

03:51 AM on 05/22/2011

Maria is a Kennedy/Shriver so it is unlike that this is her worst week.  She buried both parents and Ted in close proximity to one another and anyone who has lost a parent to Alzhiemer's knows that this is hardly Maria's worst week.
 

[Widespread Panic]

01:27 AM on 05/22/2011

So sad, I can't imagine what she's going through. Wait I had a sudden flashback. Yes I can imagine. I feel for her and her kids. This has been a tough week for all of them.

[Ingak Oepke]

01:20 AM on 05/22/2011

She also remained a supportive and loving wife throughout their entire twenty-five years of marriage. http://bit.ly/jQRxmQ

[Barbara2423]

01:16 AM on 05/22/2011

Maria is the one who dooped the public. Arnold admitted his bad behavior.

[xlntcat]

03:52 AM on 05/22/2011

What???

[sympathy]

12:33 AM on 05/22/2011

I tended bar a lot when I was younger. My clientele was mostly professional men, and it seems to me looking back, that the more money they made and power they had over other people the more prone they were to have mistresses, and some kept women in nice apartments and condos and bought them cars, and their attitude was that it didn't have anything to do with their wives and families. Sometimes their wives and girfriends would be in the bar at the same time, and when finally the guys got caught, that one fact, that they were in the room at the same time was the most humiliating and insensitive to the wife. Arnold has crossed a meaner boundary and he doesn't have a clue because he honestly thinks he's all that and the same old line will work. He should be careful what he wishes for because like most men who don't get it he thinks it will be cheaper to keep her, however, in his case he was dumb enough to keep the mistress in his home, with his wife, for years. She may stringhim along, but she's not going back.

[KnowzyRowzy]

11:26 PM on 05/21/2011

I got a feeling Maria has known for SEVERAL years. This whole story is unfolding like a written script.

[Norm]

10:51 AM on 05/23/2011

I don't trust the information. There is always the possibility that this couple had an "arragement."

[Adelais Brutus]

10:43 PM on 05/21/2011

“vis ultima electae” – Resurgam

[riverhouse]

09:40 PM on 05/21/2011

Maria has been shopping big bucks, big square footage condos on Wilshire for herself and the kids.

[ywcachieve]

11:51 PM on 05/21/2011

Also shopping for furniture.

[Deona Renna Hooper]

07:32 PM on 05/21/2011

I really felt bad for her

[sixguns]

06:59 PM on 05/21/2011

While I feel very sorry for Maria and all the kids involved, there is no way she did not know. That boy looks more like Arnold's son than Maria's boys. The maid was married to a Hispanic man at the time of her pregnancy and that child looks mixed. Maria chose to look the other way.

[riverhouse]

09:41 PM on 05/21/2011

How do you know that? Why blame the victim? What makes you think Maria was spending time with the maid's kid?

[sillyblueness]

04:01 AM on 05/23/2011

Thank you!

[wilinot]

10:40 PM on 05/21/2011

I've cleaned houses for over 20 yrs, my kids weren't around my customers all that much. I don't think Maria knew.