Ex-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife since 25 years, Maria Shriver, announced that they have separated.
The couple submitted a joint statement Monday night. They said the decision was taken in the middle of "personal and professional transition of each."
Governor Schwarzenegger leaves office in January after seven years as governor of California. Previously he has a long and successful career as an actor in Hollywood action movies.
Shriver is a former television journalist and member of the famous Kennedy family of politicians, including former President John F. Kennedy and his late brother, U.S. Senator Robert and Edward.
Shriver was instrumental in the success of her husband's campaign and the defeat of former Governor Gray Davis in the election back in 2003. When he defended Schwarzenegger associated newspaper reports that her husband often grope women inappropriately.