While other men who have gone astray from their marriage tend to veer away from the issue, Arnold Schwarzenegger faces the controversy head on and even has the courage to acknowledge his indiscretion. In a recent interview with Howard Stern, the "Terminator Genisys" star described the falling apart of his marriage with Maria Shriver as his "biggest failure" in life.
"I had personal setbacks, but this was without any doubt the biggest setback and the biggest failure," the actor tells the radio jock, referring to his separation from Maria Shriver following 25 years of marriage, according to Brisbane Times. Presumably for emphasis, he adds, "Without any doubt." Schwarzenegger and Shriver separated after it was revealed in 2011 that the former governor of the Golden State fathered a love child with the family's maid, Mildred Baena.
The actor then goes on to say, "And not only failure, but you really feel like, 'I am to blame for it. It was me that screwed up'. And you can't point the finger at anyone else." Schwarzenegger, however, chose not to drown himself with the frustration and disappointment.
He tells Stern that he tried his best to make something out of what seemed to be a bleak situation. "So yeah, I was disappointed, but it's always easy to be smart in hindsight," he says. The actor adds, "The thing was, 'How do you now make the best of that?'"
Stern, in turn, shares that he sought therapy following his split from his wife in 2001, according to Washington Post. In connection with this, the host asks his guest whether he and Shriver looked into that resolution as well. Surprisingly, this subject brought out quite an emotion from the actor.
Describing the experience of seeking the guidance of a therapist as "the biggest mistake of my life," Schwarzenegger goes on to lambast the professional. Apart from saying that the psychiatrist was "full of [expletive]," the actor discloses that their sessions were filled with "nonsense talk" and included discussions that proved to be "counterproductive" to the future of his relationship with Shriver.
"Maria talked me into it," the father of four tells Stern. "I went and I felt instinctively maybe I shouldn't go because I know I screwed up. I don't have to go to anyone to have him explain to me anything. I apologized to Maria. I apologized to the kids and then tried to move forward," he shares.
Despite his adamant belief on the concept of therapy, Schwarzenegger clarifies that his notion is limited to his personal experience. He states, "I think people should get help when they need help." He then adds, "I'm not against that, but in my particular case it was not helpful."
