Katherine Schwarzenegger is celebrating a very cozy Christmas. The 36-year-old shared a rare photo of her parents, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, together to her one million Instagram followers.
The mom-of-three and wife to actor Chris Pratt, 46, also shared wintry moments with her brothers, Patrick Schwarzenegger, 32, and Christopher Schwarzenegger, 28. The Schwarzenegger family came together to celebrate the holidays, showing that after divorce, family fun can still be had.
Katherine's parents were married for 25 years after meeting at a charity tennis tournament. Maria and Arnold went on to become a political power couple. Arnold, who started out as a bodybuilder and an action movie star, served as Governor of California from 2003 to 2011.
While Arnold was the governor, Maria was a productive First Lady – prioritizing serve, volunteerism, and food insecurity. While most governors live in the California Governor's Mansion located in Sacramento, Maria and Arnold chose to raise their four children in Los Angeles.
Two years ago, Katherine honored her parent's time in office on social media, writing: "With my mama by his side, they were a dynamic duo for the state and both complimented each other as partners in serving CA. I'm so proud of what they accomplished during my dad's term as governor and always proud of the work they both continue to do."
The messy end of Maria and Arnold's marriage
In 2011, just as Arnold was wrapping up his time in office, news broke of his affair in which he fathered a child with a longtime member of his household staff. The former governor wrote in the Los Angeles Times: "After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family."
Arnold continued: "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 … 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."
Maria separated from Arnold and shared with the media at the time: "This is a painful and heartbreaking time. As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment."
The affair led to family fallout. Patrick, who was 17 at the time, changed his last name on Twitter from Schwarzenegger to Shriver. Katherine wrote to Twitter: "This is definitely not easy but I appreciate your love and support as I begin to heal and move forward in life. I will always love my family!”
Five years after the scandal, Katherine appeared on The Talk to discuss how the family moved on. "My parents were very, very big on making sure that we remained a family unit no matter what happened and they did a really good job at that," she explained. "They come out together for everything, whether it’s a birthday party or a graduation … just very supportive parents in general."
That attitude is even more obvious today, proved by Katherine's photo of herself, Maria, and Arnold smiling together as they celebrate the holidays.