Schwarzenegger, Shriver separate after 25 years of marriage

Bodybuilder and actor turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy political clan, announced they have separated and are living apart after a 25-year marriage, DPA reported.

The separation for Schwarzenegger, 63, and Shriver, 55, came four months after the star of The Terminator and Conan the Barbarian finished a second and final term as California's governor.

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us," a statement from the couple released Monday night said. "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.

Shriver moved out of their mansion in Brentwood, a district of Los Angeles, a few weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The couple said they continued to raise their four children - ages 14, 18, 20 and 21 - together.

The two had seemed like an unlikely match from the beginning. The television news anchor and niece of assassinated US president John F Kennedy met the muscleman and star of blockbuster movies in 1977 at a charity tennis tournament.

She was a member of the most famous US Democratic family. He a Republican. In the latest US presidential campaign, she supported future President Barack Obama while he gave his backing to Senator John McCain.

They were married in 1986, and she gave him a political legitimacy valuable in 2003 when he led a recall election against California governor Gray Davis. At the end of the campaign, he faced charges that he was a womanizer and had groped women for years on movie sets. She famously defended him, and he won election.

The two celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary April 26.

After leaving office in January, Schwarzenegger said he would like to return to the silver screen. A number of movie deals are reportedly in the works, including another Terminator installment.