Arnold Schwarzenegger has spoken out about his past behaviour with women.
The former bodybuilder was accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct during his 2003 run for the California governor’s seat. At the time, he apologized for “behaving badly” toward women over the years, but he also said he couldn’t remember exactly what he’d done. He also said “most of it is not true.”
Now, in a new interview, Schwarzenegger had a different story for Men’s Health. This time around, Schwarzenegger rued the allegations and said he would treat the women in his life differently if he could go back in time.
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“Looking back, I stepped over the line several times, and I was the first one to say sorry,” Schwarzenegger, 71, said.
He continued: “I feel bad about it, and I apologize. When I became governor, I wanted to make sure that no one, including me, ever makes this mistake. That’s why we took sexual harassment courses, to have a clear understanding, from a legal point of view and also from a regular-behaviour point of view, of what is accepted and what is not.”
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Schwarzenegger was not criminally charged in connection with any of the accusations against him.
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He told the publication that he has not changed his views on masculinity.
“I’m a guy,” Schwarzenegger said. “I would not change my view of who I am.”
“The woman I was originally most in love with was my mother.”
“I respected her, and she was a fantastic woman,” he said. “I always had respect for women.”
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He did, however, change his opinion about referring to his political opponents as “girlie men,” which he did in 2004.
“At the time it felt like the right thing to do. It was in my gut. I improvised it,” Schwarzenegger said. “I called them girlie men because they weren’t willing to take risks. They were afraid of everything. Politicians in general want to do little things so there’s no risk involved. But it was shortsighted. In the long term, it’s better to not say that, because you want to work with them.”
In 2011, Schwarzenegger was criticized for having an affair with his family’s housekeeper and fathering a son with her while married to Maria Shriver, who he shares four children with. The couple began to start divorce proceedings but remain married today.
He told Men’s Health that spending time with his children makes him happy.
“Watching all five of my kids grow into their own successful lives is fantastic,” he said. “Spending time with them, working out together, answering their questions makes me so happy.”
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