October 23, 2007
Maria Shriver's Marriage Confessions
“Extra” went one on one with California's first lady Maria Shriver at the Women's Conference in Long Beach, where Maria opened up about life with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Maria, a famous broadcast journalist, said the transition into first lady was “tough.”
“How long do you have?" she joked. "I think if you have worked your whole life, but you worked independently, and then all of a sudden you're working for your husband, that's an adjustment.”
Maria is calling on everyone to pitch in and help with the California fire relief efforts. The fires have ravaged hundreds of thousands of acres and left thousands homeless.
“Whether it's in supporting the Red Cross, whether it's in volunteering, there's something all of us in California can do,” she insisted.
Maria and her husband, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, are the parents of four. Because the kids are her number one priority, Maria said she's picky and choosy about her work.
“Well, I say no to 99.9 percent of things that come to me, and if I can't explain it to myself and my children, then I don't do it,” she said.
As for her secret to a successful marriage? After 21 years together, Maria said, “I make it up day to day. I just say to my boys and to my girls, if you get married, and I hope you do, know that it will not be easy.”