By Diamon Hall
Juggling a career and relationship in Hollywood is one difficult task; between the flashing cameras of the paparazzi and the constant stream of gossip, there’s just too much to live up to. To top it all off, men can be easily caught off guard by the plethora of eye-catching women in Tinseltown, causing some stars to take their gaze off their wives and dive into an affair. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the most recent man to fall into this category.
The 38th governor of California is currently facing backlash from the media after his extramarital affair with his housekeeper was made public. If that wasn’t enough, a 13-year-old son erupted from the incident, adding to the drama of his separation from his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver.
Schwarzenegger’s case is far from unusual considering his fame status. As a former professional body builder, actor and politician, he’s among the many celebrities before him that have succumbed to marital infidelity. We decided to dig deeper into exactly why he may have had this affair and how it resulted in a love child.
Sex expert and clinical psychologist Dr. Victoria Zdrok Wilson is the author of The 30-Day Sex Solution, which was co-written with her husband, John Wilson, a marriage and family therapist. The couple said the decision to write this book came from their own personal relationship problems. In addition, they knew they weren’t the only couple having troubles and believe their book can help.
“We felt there was a real need for couples to reconnect,” said Victoria. “Couples are more disconnected now than ever before.” The book is a guide for couples to build intimacy, enhance their sex life and strengthen their relationship in one month’s time.
The Wilson’s offered detailed reasoning about what they thought caused the Schwarzenegger affair. For starters, testosterone may have been an issue.
“A lot of body builders are high on testosterone,” said John. “Before he even met his wife, he wanted immediate gratification. People who have those traits have problems with commitment.”
Victoria also thought his political career made him egoistical, causing him to want more attention from his wife.
“Politics seems to draw a certain kind of male and testosterone is a very important factor in this,” she said. “Their marriage suffered from them being consumed with social life.”
She also brought up the fact that after women give birth, they start paying more attention to their children. In turn, husbands feel left out when the mother and child are together while he is on the other side of the fence. In addition, she said many women may become conservative and less sexual after having children, making the man feel as if their wife is now boring and no longer adventurous.
“We think Arnold was very egotistical and felt that when he wanted attention, he was going to get it any way that he could,” said Victoria.
Neither of the experts believes that Schwarzenegger’s reasons for cheating are true for most other affairs. Their explanation: Not everyone is in front of the cameras every day. Arnold is.
“I think this relationship was going downhill for awhile,” said John. “He should’ve read our 30-Day Sex Solution!”
However, Victoria stressed that producing a child from this affair made matters much worse.
“It was just an act of recklessness and carelessness,” she said. “Not only did he have this affair, he slept with someone unprotected, which is the ultimate level of disrespect.”
Schwarzenegger’s mistake has not only hurt his wife and children, but has also hurt himself, with ABC News reporting that he’s needed to put his move career on hold to focus on these family issues. Furthermore, the Wilsons don’t believe these two will get back together anytime soon.
“Arnold needs divorce mediation and I’ll be happy to work his case,” said John.
The Wilsons reside in Pompton Lakes, N.J. where they will open a divorce meditation office. For ways to keep a healthy relationship, pick up their book, The 30-Day Sex Solution, on Amazon .
