Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver when the former was sworn in as governor of California for the second time
(Picture: Getty Images)Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are reportedly finally divorced over a decade after separating.
According to TMZ, a sitting judge entered the divorce into the Los Angeles court system on Tuesday morning. The site suggests the terms of the divorce were finalised earlier this month by a private judge but a sitting judge needed to formally submit it.
The couple married in 1986 and did not sign a prenuptial agreement, reports suggest. They have four children together: Katherine, 32, Christina, 30, Patrick, 28, and Christopher, 24.
Shriver filed for divorce in July 2011 following suggestions her action star husband had fathered a child with their housekeeper. They have been estranged ever since.
Joseph Baena was born on October 2, 1997, only a few days after Shriver gave birth to the couple’s fourth child, Christopher. His mother is the couple’s former housekeeper Mildred Patricia Baena.
Reports suggest Austrian actor and bodybuilder Schwarzenegger was unaware Joseph was his son for a number of years after he was born.
The divorce has taken so long to finalise due to a lack of motivation and the couple’s shared net worth of $400 million, according to reports.
Schwarzenegger, who was the 38th governor of California from 2003 to 2011, has spoken about his regret over the breakup in the past.
When asked about the divorce in a 2017 interview with OBJECTified, the former governor said: “I do not need any time to reflect, when I know it was a major, major screw up.”
The exes have remained cordial over the years and have both moved on romantically.
Schwarzenegger has been dating physical therapist Heather Milligan for over eight years, while Shriver was in a relationship with political pundit and consultant Matthew Dowd.
Schwarzenegger and Baena have a relationship and are often seen hitting the gym together. The latter wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an actor.
It comes after Schwarzenegger donated $250,00 (£186,700) to help provide housing for war veterans in the state of California before Christmas.
The former bodybuilder said that everyone “has the power” to help others during the festive period.
“This is what Christmas is all about,” he wrote on Twitter.
“All of you have the power to do something for someone else this holiday season.
“It doesn’t have to be big. Just give a few minutes of your time to help someone else.”
The money has been used to purchase 25 “tiny homes” – small housing units with beds and heating – to help homeless veterans in West Los Angeles.
