Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed that he told Maria of the affair during one of their couple counseling sessions
Arnold Schwarzenegger is looking back at some of the painful moments in his life.
In his newly-released docu-series on Netflix titled, Arnold, the actor recounted the conversation with his ex-wife Maria Shriver where he admitted to having an extra-marital affair.
For the unversed, the former Governor of California had an affair with their housekeeper Mildred Baena during their 25-year marriage and had a son, Joseph Baena, with her.
"Maria and I went to counseling once a week," he recalled in a confessional, "and in one of the sessions the counselor said, 'I think today Maria wants to be very specific about something. She wants to know if you are the father of Joseph.' And I was like— I thought my heart stopped, and then I told the truth."
The Terminator actor went on to admit to Shriver of the affair, a revelation that “crushed” her, according to Schwarzenegger.
"I had an affair in ’96. In the beginning, I really didn’t know. I just started feeling the older he got the more it became clear to me and then it was really just a matter of how do you keep this quiet? How do you keep this a secret?" he shared.
Schwarzenegger expressed his regret over causing "enough pain for my family because of my [expletive] up," before adding: "Everyone had to suffer. Maria had to suffer. The kids had to suffer. Joseph. His mother. Everyone."
Despite the heartbreak, the former politician revealed that the exes share a "really great relationship," and that he is "very happy" about how he and Shriver "were able to raise the kids really well" amid "this sad story."
Arnold and Maria announced their separation in 2011 after being married for 25 years.
They share four children: Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher.