Maria Shriver wants to terminate her marriage with cheating hubby Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Shriver filed for divorce today setting the stage for what could be one of the costliest celebrity break-ups in history.
Shriver cites “irreconcilable differences” as her reason for ending the 25-year marriage, TMZ.com reported.
The petition was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by prominent attorney Laura Wasser, whom Shriver hired in May when Schwarzenegger went public with the news he had fathered a child with a former household staff member.
Sources told TMZ the couple does not have a prenuptial agreement, so assets would be divided evenly since California is a community property state. The power couple’s net worth has been assessed at between $200 million and $400 million.
Shriver, 55, is seeking joint custody of the couple’s two children who are minors, Patrick, 17, and Christopher, 13. She and Schwarzenegger, 63, also have two older daughters, Katherine, 21, and Christina, 19.
Shriver has asked for spousal support from the former California governor and requested he pay her attorneys’ fees.
Some of the couple’s property would be considered separate, including jewelry and personal effects, along with earnings accumulated by Shriver after their separation, and other separate assets that were not determined.
The couple announced their separation on May 10. A week later, reportedly at Shriver’s insistence, Schwarzenegger acknowledged that he had fathered a child with housekeeper Mildred Baena, 50, who worked for Schwarzenegger and Shriver for 20 years. Her son, Joseph, is now 13 years old.
“After leaving the governor’s office, I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago,” Schwarzenegger said in statement announcing that he fathered the boy.
“I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry.”
Shriver met her future husband when NBC journalist and former newsreader Tom Brokaw introduced his colleague to Schwarzenegger — then an Austrian bodybuilder — at a charity tennis tournament in 1977. The pair married in 1986.
Schwarzenegger shot to fame as an action movie star, with lead roles in such films as “Conan the Barbarian,” “The Terminator,” “Commando” and “Predator,” before his role as a politician.
Shriver is a journalist and author of six best-selling books.
Shriver and Schwarzenegger proved to be an odd couple in their public lives, finding themselves at opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Republican Schwarzenegger served two terms as governor of California — during which time he was referred to as “The Governator.” His second term ended in January this year.
Shriver, meanwhile, belongs to the Kennedy family, a Democratic dynasty in US politics. Shriver’s mother was Eunice Kennedy Shriver — the sister of former US President John F. Kennedy.
She publicly backed Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign, while Schwarzenegger supported his Republican opponent John McCain.