Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's Relationship Timeline

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have been in each other's lives for nearly half a century.

The Predator star and the journalist began dating in 1977 after being introduced by a mutual friend. After eight years of dating, they went on to wed in 1986 and soon began expanding their family. The couple welcomed four children together: daughters Katherine and Christina, plus sons Patrick and Christopher.

In 2011, they separated after Schwarzenegger admitted to having fathered a child, Joseph Baena, with the family's housekeeper 14 years earlier. Shriver filed for divorce, which was finalized 10 years later.

From their initial introduction to the Terminator star's infidelity and their ensuing divorce, here's everything to know about Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's relationship.

August 1977: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver first meet

Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

The pair were first introduced at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament by a mutual friend, NBC's Tom Brokaw. Sparks flew at their initial meeting and they began dating soon after.

August 1985: Arnold Schwarzenegger proposes to Maria Shriver

Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive/Getty

Eight years into their relationship, the Jingle All the Way star popped the question to Shriver and the two got engaged.

April 26, 1986: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver get married

Steve Liss/Getty

The following spring, the two said "I do" in a Catholic ceremony in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Among the notable guests at the nuptials was Shriver's cousin, Caroline Kennedy, who was her maid of honor.

December 13, 1989: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver welcome their first baby, Katherine

Diana Walker/Getty

The couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Katherine Eunice, three years into their marriage. Katherine's middle name is an homage to her maternal grandmother, Eunice Kennedy — the younger sister of President John F. Kennedy.

Now all grown up, Katherine is married to Jurassic World star Chris Pratt and has two daughters of her own, whom Schwarzenegger loves being granddad to. "It's fantastic! I have a great time when they come over to the house," he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! of spending time with his grandkids.

July 23, 1991: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver welcome daughter Christina

Katherine was followed by another daughter, Christina, on July 23, 1991. Following her mother and her grandmother's lead, Christina is a founding member of the Special Olympics Founder's Council.

September 18, 1993: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver welcome son Patrick

J. Redmond/WireImage

The proud parents' first son, Patrick, was born in Los Angeles in 1993. These days, he's following in his dad's Hollywood footsteps, with roles in HBO Max's true crime series The Staircase and 2021's Moxie.

"[My dad's] really proud of me and they're so supportive," Patrick said of his parents. "I couldn't ask for a better parent duo."

September 27, 1997: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver welcome son Christopher

In 1997, Schwarzenegger and Shriver welcomed their fourth and final child together, son Christopher.

November 17, 2003: Arnold Schwarzenegger is sworn in as governor of California

Lucy Nicholson-Pool/Getty

Shriver supported her husband throughout his race for governor of California. After the Kindergarten Cop star beat out former governor Gray Davis in a momentous recall election, he was sworn in as the 38th governor of California with his wife by his side in Sacramento. The pair's children were also in attendance.

January 5, 2007: Maria Shriver shows support as Arnold Schwarzenegger is sworn in a second time

David Paul Morris/Getty

Schwarzenegger was reelected for a second term in 2007. Although he had a broken leg at the time of his swearing-in ceremony, his wife was there to support him. The two even shared a kiss for the cameras.

May 10, 2011: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announce their separation

After 25 years together, Schwarzenegger and Shriver released a statement saying that they had mutually decided to go their separate ways.

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us," the statement said. "After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion, and prayer, we came to this decision together." They confirmed that they were living apart while working "on the future of our relationship," adding that their focus remained on their children. "We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the center of both of our lives."

May 17, 2011: Arnold Schwarzenneger admits to having fathered a child during a previous affair

Immediately after his term as California governor ended in January 2011, Schwarzenneger revealed to Shriver and to their children that he had fathered a child, Joseph, with their longtime maid, Mildred Baena, 14 years prior.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times in May, the Terminator star publicly apologized. "After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. 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."

July 1, 2011: Maria Shriver files for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger

Two months after news of her husband's affair came to light, Shriver filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court. Citing irreconcilable differences, Shriver requested shared custody of the couple's minor children at the time — sons Patrick and Christopher, who were 17 and 13, respectively. She also sought spousal support from Schwarzenegger.

July 30, 2011: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver reunite for his birthday

Chelsea Lauren/FilmMagic

There appeared to be no bad blood between the Terminator star and the I've Been Thinking author as they stepped out together just a few weeks after filing for divorce. They were spotted eating lunch together at Casa Roma restaurant in Beverly Hills before hitting the town for some retail therapy.

Sources told PEOPLE at the time that the pair would always remain close for the sake of their family. "Arnold and Maria will always come together when it comes to supporting and loving their children," they said.

July 30, 2015: Maria Shriver celebrates Arnold Schwarzenegger's birthday

Shriver appears to have kept up the annual tradition of celebrating her ex's birthday as a family. In 2015, she was spotted leaving the Montage hotel in Beverly Hills at the same time as him, where they enjoyed a birthday lunch with their daughters Katherine and Christina.

May 14, 2016: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver attend their son Patrick's graduation

Katherine Schwarzenegger Instagram

The proud parents came together to show their love for their son Patrick at his college graduation in 2016. Standing alongside the new graduate, Shriver planted a kiss on his cheek as his dad wrapped an arm around him at the USC commencement ceremony. Both parents proudly shared photos and tributes to their son on Instagram, wishing him luck on his next adventures.

March 2017: Arnold Schwarzenegger opens up about his affair

The True Lies star made a rare comment about his affair during a 2017 interview with Men's Journal. He admitted to the outlet that he thinks about it "every so often," but that he's put the past behind him and is focused on moving forward.

"And I can beat myself up as much as I want — it's not gonna change the situation. So the key thing is, how do you move forward? How do you have a great relationship with your kids?"

He continued, "You can't go back — if I could, in reality, be Terminator, of course I would go back in time and would say, 'Arnold … no.'" But it's not that simple, he added. "You know, it's always easy to be smart in hindsight. That's not the way it works."

August 3, 2020: Maria Shriver celebrates Arnold Schwarzenegger's 73rd birthday

Patrick Schwarzenegger Instagram

In 2020, Shriver joined the rest of their family in celebrating the Twins star's 73rd birthday. They posed for a rare family portrait, with a smiling Shriver and all four of their children surrounding the birthday boy and his array of festive desserts.

December 28, 2021: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver finalize their divorce

Ten years after filing, the former couple settled their divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court. PEOPLE confirmed the news through court documents after TMZ broke the news.

September 19, 2022: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver celebrate their son Patrick's birthday together

Patrick Schwarzenegger Instagram

Despite their separation, the proud parents have kept up a unified front for their family over the years. In September 2022, they celebrated their son Patrick's 29th birthday together as a trio, taking him out to dinner and posing for photos at the restaurant.

February 6, 2023: Maria Shriver reveals she went to a convent after filing for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger

After filing for divorce from Schwarzenegger, Shriver sought "to be in silence and look for advice" at a convent, she revealed during an appearance on the Making Space with Hoda Kotb podcast.

"I first felt like, 'Oh I'd better go and figure out like, what is the truth?' " Shriver explained. "I went to a convent — I did so many things — but one of the things I did is I went to a convent, a cloistered convent."

She added that the experience ultimately helped her find herself again. "I felt like I was in a scene out of The Sound of Music," she said, adding that the convent's Reverend Mother told her, " 'You can't come live here, but you do have permission to go out and become Maria.' I was like, sobbing. I was like, 'Who is that?' "

The mom of four added that she often felt disconnected from herself in her marriage, as she felt overlooked when Schwarzenegger or her famous family members were in the room.

"I would find myself getting angry at people who came up and didn't acknowledge that I existed when I was standing next to Arnold, or when I was standing next to my uncle or somebody," she said. "And then I [realized] they were teaching me a lesson that it's not about whether they see me," she explained. "Do I see me? Am I visible to me?"