Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver separated after the former first lady of the state learned her husband fathered a child with a longtime member of their household staff.
The woman had worked for the former first family for 20 years, and retired in January.
"After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this even which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger said Monday night in a statement issued to The Times in response to questions of separation.
"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."
In the last part of the statement, Schwarzenegger added:"I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time. While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not."
The spokesman for Shriver told that she had no comment.
The former staff said in an interview with The Times before Schwarzenegger published his statement about the affair that the child was her ex-husband's. She said she voluntarily left her position on which she has worked for two decades, adding she received a severance payment she deserved. But she refused to make any comment after the former governor made the revelation.
Schwarzenegger bore financialresponsibility for the child from the start and continued to provide support, said by a person who declined to be named.



前加州州长阿诺德•施瓦辛格的妻子，玛利亚•施莱弗，在得知她的丈夫与家里一名服务了很多年的女子有染并与之生下一私生子后，二人决定分居。

这名女子为施瓦辛格一家服务了20余年，已于今年1月正式退休。

本周一晚，施瓦辛格向《洛杉矶时报》发出一份正式声明回应公众对他与妻子分居的疑问，在这份声明中施瓦辛格说道："离开加州州长职位之后我告诉了玛利亚这件发生在十几年前的事情。"

"我理解因为这件事情引发的我家人、朋友对我所产生的愤怒及失望情绪，对于已经对他们造成的伤害我将不会有任何借口地承担所有责任。我已经向玛利亚、我的孩子们、我的家庭做出了道歉，我真的非常对不起他们。"

在声明的最后，施瓦辛格补充说："我请求媒体能在这段艰难的时间尊重我的妻子和孩子们，应该由我来承担你们的关注和批评，而不是我的家人们。"

关于这份声明玛利亚的发言人表示这位前加州第一夫人暂无评论。

周一在施瓦辛格发表这份声明之前，《洛杉矶时报》采访了这名女员工，她提到孩子是她与自己前夫所生。她表示是自己主动要求离开这份已经工作了二十余年的工作岗位，退休时她领到了自己那份应得的遣散费。但是在施瓦辛格发布声明之后，这名女子拒绝再做出任何评论。

一位不愿意透露姓名的知情人士说，施瓦辛格自从孩子降生之后就一直承担着经济责任，并将继续对他们的生活进行资助。

• california [,kæli´fɔ:njə] n.加利福尼亚 (初中英语单词)
• governor [´gʌvənə] n.总督；州长 (初中英语单词)
• deserve [di´zə:v] v.应受；值得 (初中英语单词)
• disappointment [,disə´pɔintmənt] n.失望；挫折 (初中英语单词)
• responsibility [ri,spɔnsə´biliti] n.责任(心)；职责；任务 (初中英语单词)
• extremely [ik´stri:mli] ad.极端地；非常地 (初中英语单词)
• criticism [´kritisizəm] n.批评；评论(文) (初中英语单词)
• interview [´intəvju:] n.&vt.接见；会见；交谈 (初中英语单词)
• payment [´peimənt] n.支付；报酬；报偿 (初中英语单词)
• comment [´kɔment] n.&v.评论；评注；注意 (初中英语单词)
• financial [fi´nænʃəl] a.金融的，财政的 (初中英语单词)
• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
• decade [´dekeid] n.十年(间) (高中英语单词)
• response [ri´spɔns] n.回答；响应 (高中英语单词)
• retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)
• spokesman [´spəuksmən] n.发言人 (英语六级单词)