Late yesterday the LA Times broke the very surprising news that former California governor/actor/bodybuilder/Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger and his political opposite wife Maria Shriver (of the famed Kennedy family) decided to separate after 25 years of marriage! Even tho this news came as a shock to many, it is now being reported that the couple have been on the outs for a few months now. In fact, the couple didn’t even spend Mother’s Day together. For whatever reason and for some time now … Maria and Arnold have been DUNZO, y’all!

The 25-year celebrity marriage of movie star-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger and star TV correspondent Maria Shriver of the Kennedy clan appears on the rocks. In answer to a Los Angeles Times query Monday, the couple issued a joint statement saying: After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship. The 55-year-old Shriver has moved out of their Brentwood mansion, but the statement stressed they continue to raise their four children — ages 21, 20, 18 and 14 — together, calling them “the light and the center of both of our lives.” And the pair appealed for privacy … This spring, Schwarzenegger said he hoped for a cinematic comeback and he has since signed for three films, including another Terminator chapter. A comment that he had not discussed a new show business venture with his wife combined with other hints of a split. Husband and wife have been traveling widely — and separately. She has appeared publicly without her wedding ring, as our colleague Mark Barabak notes here, and has spoken of stressful transitions in her life. And their anniversary last month went unnoted by them on social media. Word of the split swept widely across Twitter on Monday evening with common comments such as “How sad!” and “I didn’t see that coming.”

HMMM … it sounds like the LA Times kinda stumbled onto this story … it appears that they casually asked a question and they got a bombshell of an answer. Because the couple often spent much time apart, no one bat an eyelash when photos were taken of the couple NOT TOGETHER on Mother’s Day. According to TMZ sources, the split has been in the works for a while now:

Maria Shriver has been “miserable” in her marriage for a long, long time, sources connected with the couple tell TMZ … and it’s all about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “craziness.” We’re told Maria moved out of the couple’s L.A. mansion months ago. Sources tell us she’s been extremely unhappy in her marriage for years, complaining about Arnold’s out of control ego, as well as his womanizing. We’re also told Maria feels Arnold has ignored her for years and she’s felt terribly unappreciated. Sources say the couple has spent “very little time together” for several years. Maria was frequently absent from Sacramento while Arnold was Governor. The situation got worse once Arnold left office and decided he wanted to resurrect his movie career. Maria felt Arnold was becoming more erratic — more “unstable.” Our sources say Maria’s religious views caused her deep distress over whether to split and/or divorce. As one source put it: “She’s been a lost soul for a long time.”

UGH … it does sound like Maria has been miserable for a while. But, as a member of the famed Kennedy family, I’m sure she was instilled with the belief that you personally endure hardship in order to save face in the public. 25 years of unhappiness, tho, sounds like too much to bear. Altho I was surprised to learn of this split, I’m not at all surprised to learn that the couple have been unhappy for a long time now … and it really sounds to me like a break-up is the best thing for the both of them. I suppose this is further proof that bipartisanship is really difficult to make work.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source, Source]