Maria Shriver Reveals How God Got Her Through Split From Arnold Schwarzenegger – ‘I Went To A Convent’

Maria Shriver split from her husband Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2011 (with their divorce being finalized ten years later in 2021) after it was revealed that he’d fathered a baby with their housekeeper.

In a new interview, Shriver is opening up about how God helped her through this breakup, explaining that she went to a convent to deal with the aftermath of her marriage ending.

Shriver ‘Went To A Convent’

“I went to a convent, a cloistered convent, and to be in silence and look for advice,” Shriver, 67, recalled while appearing on the “Making Space With Hoda Kotb” podcast . “And the reverend mother there … I actually have written about this but I haven’t shared it, she said, ‘I think you came here looking for permission.'” 

Comparing this moment to a scene from the classic 1965 movie The Sound Of Music, Shriver remembered the reverend mother telling her, “You can’t come live here … but you do have permission to go out and become Maria.” 

These words had a profound impact on Shriver, as they set her free.

“I was, like, sobbing,” she remembered. “I had never given myself permission to feel, to be vulnerable, to be weak, to be brought to my knees. And the world did it to me. And then I was like, ‘OK, God, let’s go.'” 

Related: Maria Shriver Defends Son-In-Law Chris Pratt After He’s Slammed Over ‘Healthy Daughter’ Comments

Shriver And Schwarzenegger’s History

Entertainment Tonight reported that Shriver and Schwarzenegger married in 1986 and went on to have four children together before their 2011 separation and subsequent 2021 divorce. The delay between their separation and divorce is said to have been caused in part by a property settlement agreement.

In her latest interview with Hoda Kotb, Shriver explained that she had felt invisible both in her marriage and growing up as a member of the Kennedy family. She is the daughter of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who was the sister of the former President John F. Kennedy Jr. 

“If you, as a child, are standing next to the president of the United States, two U.S. senators, the first lady, nobody is looking at you,” Shriver explained. “You are background noise. And you take that with you really through life, and you end up putting yourself in situations where that continues until you learn your lesson.”

Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Former Co-Star Claims He ‘Farted In My Face’

Shriver Learns Major Lesson

Shriver concluded by saying that this experience made her more self-assured as a woman. 

“It’s not about other people seeing you, it’s about you seeing yourself,” she said. “And that took me a really long time, a really long time to learn.” 

“What actually makes people feel seen and worthy is talking to them, sitting with them, calling them, slowing down… sitting on the porch, going, ‘I don’t have anywhere to go. I’m right here with you,'” Shriver continued. 

Daily Mail reported that Shriver was humiliated when it was revealed to the world that Schwarzenegger had fathered a child with their family’s former housekeeper Mildred Patty Baena.

We’re glad to see that in her darkest hour, Shriver decided to go to a house of God to deal with her feelings. She made the right decision, and others would do well to follow her example when it comes to dealing with their own struggles in life!