Shriver speaks out over Schwarzenegger’s affair and love child

May 18, 2011 has broken her silence and spoken out after revelations her husband had an affair and fathered a love child with a household staff member 10 years ago.

"This is a painful and heartbreaking time," she said in a statement released to American news organizations. "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."

Shriver, 55, and Schwarzenegger, 63, have four children together:, 21, Christina, 19, , 17, and Christopher, 13.

On their Twitter accounts, the couple’s children expressed their feelings. Patrick, who changed his name on the account from Schwarzenegger to Shriver, wrote, "Some days you feel like shit, some days you want to quit and just be normal for a bit, yet i love my family till death do us apart. #family."

Katherine, the eldest of the four children, wrote, “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!”

The former California first couple’s split went public yesterday after Schwarzenegger, admitted to fathering a child with a member of their household staff.

The  reports that the staff member, whose name will not be released for her and her child’s privacy, worked for the family for 20 years, retiring in January.

"After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger said in the statement on Monday night to the Los Angeles Times.

"I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family," Schwarzenegger said. "There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologised to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry."

In his statement, Schwarzenegger, most famous for his role in the Terminator movies, asked the media to respect his privacy and to "respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time."

"While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not," he said.