Mildred Baena, the housekeeper with whom Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child, spoke out for the first time today to Hello! magazine, saying she cried together with the former governor's wife after revealing the news.
She was joined for the interview by her son Joseph, who she said began to increasingly resemble his governor/actor father as he grew older.
What's most surprising about Baena's tell-all interview is the high regard in which she holds Schwarzenegger's wife and former first lady of California, Maria Shriver.
She told Hello! that Shriver had an inkling of her husband's secret as she heard talk of Joseph's physical similarity to his father around the house. When Shriver asked Baena about her son's paternity, she admitted that the governor was indeed the father. Shriver then hugged Baena and cried with her, telling her to "get off [her] knees."
While Shriver has separated from Schwarzenegger and moved out of their Brentwood home, Baena also expressed hope for their reconciliation. She acknowledged that the former governor "is suffering." She added, "He loves Maria. I hope in time they work things out."
When his grandmother sat him down one year ago to explain that Arnold Schwarzenegger was his father, he exclaimed: "Cool!", Hello reported. His mother said the young boy is looking forward to building a relationship with his father.
Schwarzenegger fathered a son with Baena about 14 years ago. Birth records show Schwarzenegger's son Christopher and his newly revealed child were born less than a week apart. Known as Patty, Baena reportedly worked in the famliy home as a housekeeper and assistant for more than 20 years, until January.
After the scandal broke two of Shriver and Schwarzenegger's children took to the Internet with reaction to their dad's admission that he fathered a child with one of their household staff members and hid the secret for years, shattering their 25-year marriage.
"I love my family till death do us apart," Patrick Arnold Schwarzenegger, 17, tweeted. He also quoted lyrics to a song by hip-hop group Fort Minor that read: "Some days you feel like s*** … some days you want to quit and just be normal for a bit." Pointedly, he recently changed his Twitter name to Patrick Shriver.
His older sister Katherine Eunice Schwarzenegger, 21, also tweeted (as KSchwarzenegger): "This is definitely not easy but I appreciate your love and support as i begin to heal and move forward in life. I will always love my family!"
They are two of the four kids that Shriver and Schwarzenegger have together.
Shriver also appealed for compassion and privacy in breaking her silence on her estranged husband's admission. "This is a painful and heartbreaking time," Shriver said in a statement. "As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment."