Mildred “Patty” Baena, the former housekeeper at the center of the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver separation, has come forward to talk about the day Shriver heard the devastating truth: Arnold and Mildred had a love child.
Baena opens up to Hello! magazine and reveals that while her son Joseph, 13, was just fine learning the truth about who his dad was, (she tells the magazine he said it was “Cool” that Arnold was his father,) Shriver was understandably upset.
The retired housekeeper had kept her son away from the Schwarzenegger home until last year. When she did bring Joseph to the house, it sent rumors and innuendos rippling through the home because it was unavoidable who he resembled.
“Last summer, I brought Joseph over to the house. Until then, he hadn’t been around very much,” says Baena. “After that, people in the house started whispering about how much they looked like each other.”
It didn’t go unnoticed by Maria either, who gave her multiple opportunities to explain but Mildred wasn’t ready to talk. Eventually, she says she had to tell her the truth.
“Maria would ask if I needed to talk to her, and I kept saying no. Finally, she asked point blank. Maria asked me directly if Joseph was Arnold’s son, and I just broke down. I dropped to my knees and I was crying, saying that yes he was and I was so sorry,” Baena revealed.
In an incredible act of grace and compassion, Shriver didn’t throw Mildred out, but allowed her to keep her job through the holidays and retire as planned.
“She cried with me and told me to get off my knees,” Mildred confessed. “Since I was retiring soon, I said I would pack and leave right away but she said to stay until after the holidays.”
Baena told of her remorse that Arnold and Maria’s marriage fell apart and hopes the two can find their way back together.
He’s a good man and I know he’s suffering too,” Baena tells the mag. “He loves Maria. I hope with time they work things out.”
