(CNN) — It seems that Arnold Schwarzenegger had trouble telling his then-wife Maria Shriver about his secret son with his housekeeper Mildred Baena.
According to The Sun, Schwarzenegger revealed how the bombshell came about that Joseph Baena, now 25, was his son.
The publication reports that the “Terminator” star shares the story in his upcoming three-part Netflix docuseries about how he and Shriver had been in marriage therapy during his time as Governor of California.
“One day, the counselor said, ‘Today Maria wants to be very specific about something,'” says Schwarzenegger. ‘She wants to know if you’re Joseph’s father.’ I thought my heart had stopped. And then I told her the truth. Yes, Maria. Joseph is my son.’ Obviously, that broke her.’
Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s “Fubar” held at The Grove in Los Angeles on Monday, May 22, 2023. (Credit: Sthanlee B. Mirador/SIPPL Sipa USA/AP)
The couple had married in 1986 and are the parents of four children. The affair with Mildred Baena occurred in 1996.
Schwarzenegger said that he and Baena believed that she was pregnant by her husband, but began to suspect otherwise as John got older.
“At first I didn’t know it, but the older I got, the clearer I saw it,” Schwarzenegger said. “So it was just a question of: ‘How do you keep this a secret?’
CNN has contacted representatives for Schwarzenegger and Shriver for comment.
“Arnold” premieres this Wednesday on Netflix. His series “Fubar” is currently broadcast on that platform.
