Arnold Schwarzenegger gushes about girlfriend of 10 years in rare comments

Arnold Schwarzenegger is happily in love.

The action star and former governor of California opened up about his romance with physical therapist Heather Milligan during his guest appearance on the April 3 episode of “New Heights” with Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce.

Schwarzenegger, a native of Austria, said he learned the rules of football while watching with his sons, but Milligan took his education to a new level.

“I learned the game. I learned the rules and then later on, around 10 years ago, I fell in love with Heather, with my girlfriend, who is a physical therapist, who treats a lot of the football players and boxers and UFC fighters and basketball players,” Schwarzenegger said.

“And she’s really a fanatic about sports, especially about football. So now I’m sitting with her, and she’s explaining if I have any questions. It never stops. This is really what has happened in the last few years.”

Schwarzenegger, 76, married Maria Shriver in 1986. She filed for divorce in 2011, and it was finalized in 2021. The couple share four children: Katherine, 34, Christina, 32, Patrick, 30, and Christopher, 26. They are also grandparents to Katherine’s daughters with husband Chris Pratt, Lyla, 3, and Eloise, 1. Schwarzenegger also is father to another son, Joseph Baena, 26, from another relationship.

Read on for more information about Schwarzenegger’s relationship with Milligan.

Who is Heather Milligan?

Milligan founded Elite OrthoSport, a Los Angeles clinic that “specializes in orthopedic and sports physical therapy and delivers a level of care sought after by the best,” according to its website.

She holds a degree in physical therapy and an MBA from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Milligan was a competitive gymnast for 20 years and works with athletes from the worlds of boxing, MMA, NFL, NBA, MLB, tennis, figure skating, volleyball, soccer, track and gymnastics.

What has Schwarzenegger said about Milligan?

“We have so many things in common,” he told People in September 2023. “I think the world of her. I love that she’s into working. She’s clearly independent. She just is driven as hell.”

The "Terminator" star said he likes to pop in while she works with her clients.

“I schmooze with them while they’re getting therapy, because I admire them, they’re great athletes,” he said. “Even though a lot of them make me feel like a little chicken.”

He also praised Milligan for how she cares for her loved ones, noting that she had visited her grandmother in Nebraska.

“Every night, she’s with her grandmother on the phone for at least a half an hour,” he said. “I mean, that’s when you get to know a person, the heart they have.”

How did they meet?

The couple met in 2012 after Schwarzenegger had shoulder surgery while he was getting set to shoot the 2013 movie “Escape Plan,” which co-starred Sylvester Stallone. Schwarzenegger said his surgeon recommended Milligan when he asked for someone to help him get into shape for the fight scenes in the film.

“And so he says, ‘There’s only one (person), it’s Heather — any athlete, I always send them to her, because she’s the only one that really knows what they’re talking about,’” Schwarzenegger said.

“So I went to her, and then after my therapy was finished, after I was finished with the movie, I called her back and took her out for lunch to say thank you. And then one thing led to the next.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com