Schwarzenegger separates from his wife: report

Schwarzenegger and Shriver confirmed the separation in a joint statement in response to questions raised by The Times.

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us," they said in the statement.

"After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship."

"We are continuing to parent our four children together. They are the light and the center of both of our lives. We consider this a private matter and neither we nor any of our friends or family will have further comment. We ask for compassion and respect from the media and the public."

Shriver has moved out of their Brentwood mansion and has been living apart from Schwarzenegger for the last few weeks, according to the report.

Schwarzenegger served as California Governor for eight years before being replaced by Jerry Brown earlier this year; Kazinform cites Xinhua.

See www.xinhuanet.com/english2010 for full version