Maria Shriver Hid Boyfriend for Years before Messy Split with Schwarzenegger, Sources Said: More about Him

• Arnold Schwarzenegger and his ex-wife Maria Shriver's divorce was one of the biggest in Hollywood.
• Their divorce, which was finalized in 2021, came after Schwarzenegger admitted to fathering a son out of wedlock.
• Although some viewed Schwarzenegger as the one in the wrong, sources claim that Shriver had a secret boyfriend before news of her husband's infidelity came out.

Maria Shriver, 67, best known as the former First Lady of California and the ex-wife of Hollywood icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, 76, allegedly engaged in an affair with her ex-husband's business associate. Years before they finalized their divorce in 2021, media outlets announced that Shriver and Matthew Dowd, 62, were seeing each other secretly.

According to sources, Shriver started spending time with Dowd in 2006, during his time working as Schwarzenegger's campaign strategist. Whenever "The Terminator" star would travel, inside sources reported that other staff members working on the campaign said that Dowd and Shriver would parade their relationship in front of them.

Dowd, who was twice divorced then, and Shriver would spend alone time together after meetings and take long walks. As revealed by a campaign staffer:

"There was a lot of flirtation...Arnold was rarely, if ever, around when they were together. She had a unique banter with [Dowd] and lit up when he was around."

When Schwarzenegger caught wind of what was happening, he allegedly pushed Dowd out of his inner circle. However, even with Dowd gone, Shriver and her then-husband apparently engaged in heated debates over the whole ordeal, with some fights happening publicly.

While the wider public did not know about the relationship between Shriver and Dowd, Schwarzenegger received backlash for bearing a child out of wedlock with a woman he had an affair with. In 2011, the former Governor of California admitted to the public that he and the family's housekeeper, Mildred Beana, had been intimate and welcomed a son as a result.

Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger Finalized Their Divorce in 2021, but She Appeared with Matthew Dowd Years Before

Soon after Schwarzenegger's scandal broke, Shriver and the action movie star separated and began divorce proceedings. A decade after deciding to split, their divorce was finalized a few days after Christmas in 2021.

On the day their divorce was finalized, Shriver, who media outlets claimed to be emotional, took to Twitter to announce she would be taking a hiatus from social media. Although the former couple decided to go their separate ways after the 2011 bombshell, they were still legally married when Shriver started appearing publicly with Dowd.

Despite their 27-year age gap, Milligan and Schwarzenegger began a romantic relationship in 2013 and have been together ever since.

Three years after Schwarzenegger admitted to his infidelity, Shriver and Dowd made their first public appearance together at her cousin's wedding. While another source denied that Shriver and Dowd had only started dating after she separated from her ex-husband, Dowd asserted:

"There was no affair. We were good friends."

However, despite Dowd doing what he could to denounce the allegations, people who worked for Schwarzenegger during his campaign run claimed that their boss told them to view Dowd as an enemy. Additionally, Dowd was not allowed to attend Schwarzenegger's inauguration.

Shriver and Dowd did their best to keep their relationship discreet, going on getaways together when Schwarzenegger would travel to Sacramento, for example. However, sources say that Schwarzenegger knew of their affair despite Shriver saying that she and Dowd were only close friends.

Though Dowd and Shriver continued denying their romantic involvement, Dowd mistakenly revealed that he had been staying with Shriver at a hotel. Sources say he admitted to the two spending time together at a wedding that occurred in 2011 after Shriver and Schwarzenegger separated.

This was the same year that Schwarzenegger's infidelity story came out. One of the politician's campaign staffers reported that Schwarzenegger gave his staff instructions to keep Shriver's affair under wraps because:

"He did not want the dirty laundry out there."

Despite attempting to keep the news about Dowd and Shriver on the down low, media outlets released a series of pictures of the two spending time together and walking arm in arm in 2016. Photos showed the pair on a morning stroll, looking happy as they flashed smiles during their conversation.

The outing was somewhat of a surprise to many who had no idea about their relationship because it took place while Shriver was still legally married to her ex. Allegedly, Schwarzenegger had been taking his time with signing the papers officiating their divorce even though they had amicably split their assets already.

Why Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger's Divorce Took Long & How Their Lives and Relationship Looked After Their Split

When their divorce was eventually finalized, and Shriver announced her hiatus from social media, people shared their opinions on why the former Hollywood couple's divorce took so long. A mutual friend of the ex-spouses claimed:

"I just don't think they wanted to push the button. They weren't ready to disentangle themselves. But there are a few reasons for finally doing this, and it's a good time of year to do this — you can get things done quietly when people are busy celebrating the holidays."

Another reason a legal expert gave for the drawn-out divorce had to do with the possibility of one or both partners finding a new romance. During their split after Shriver filed for divorce, Schwarzenegger started seeing a physical therapist named Heather Milligan.

Despite their 27-year age gap, Milligan and Schwarzenegger began a romantic relationship in 2013 and have been together ever since. On the other hand, Shriver has reportedly been single since her break-up with Dowd.

According to the 67-year-old's friends, Shriver and Dowd split in 2017. However, no official representative has given a statement regarding both Schwarzenegger's and Shriver's personal lives as they stand now.

Schwarzenegger and Shriver may have dealt with infidelity issues in the past and may not be together anymore, but the two remain forever linked by their kids and grandkids.