The woman who had a love child with Arnold Schwarzenegger has been identified by several American websites.

Yesterday, the former Governor of California admitted he had fathered a child with another woman while married to Maria Shriver. He explained the incident happened ten years ago and was the reason he and Shriver recently announced their separation.

He did not name the mother of his child, but she has been identified as Mildred Patricia Baena, who is known as Patty, by RadarOnline, TMZ and Star magazine. The publications also claim to have seen photographs of the child, although they haven't been published.

"She's the one," a source told RadarOnline. "They have a son together."

Baena has a MySpace page in which she calls herself a "proud parent" and joked her body is carrying "some extra baggage". Pictures of the boy are included on the site, and he is said to bear a striking resemblance to his father.

According to TMZ, Baena worked for the Schwarzenegger family for over 20 years, completing tasks such as cleaning and cooking. The site claims she started "pursuing" the former action hero in the 90s, leading to them having sex.

It is alleged that Baena decided against telling Schwarzenegger she was carrying his baby when she fell pregnant, and he didn't discover he was the boy's dad for several years. When he did realise, he was "generous" to them both.

Baena is now retired and has a four bedroom house which is hours away from Los Angeles.

ARNIE DUBBED 'SPERMINATOR'

Schwarzenegger's admission has triggered scorn, shock and ridicule in the US media.

To fans, he was movie star tough guy the Terminator. Then he turned to politics and was affectionately dubbed the Governator. But after acknowledging that he fathered a child out of wedlock, Arnold Schwarzenegger was swiftly given a new name -- the Sperminator.

Veteran Hollywood publicist Michael Levine called it "the most outrageous Hollywood scandal" since director Woody Allen's affair with Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of his longtime companion, actress Mia Farrow, in 1992.

"I don't think I am shockable any more ... but this one is breathtaking in its outrageous, egregious, irresponsible arrogance," Levine said.

The all-female hosts of television chat show "The View" feasted on Schwarzenegger's disclosure. "Who knew that the Sperminator was doing more than pumping iron?" quipped co-host Joy Behar.

Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, whose newspaper was the first to break the story, scathingly termed Schwarzenegger "the biggest phony."

Two of Shriver's four children with Schwarzenegger took to Twitter, both stating their love for their family.

"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," wrote Patrick Schwarzenegger, 17, who signed himself "Shriver."

Katherine Schwarzenegger, 21, said in a tweet of her own, "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 scandal broke four months after Schwarzenegger left office as California governor and prepares to return to his iconic role as a killing-machine cyborg from the future in a proposed new "Terminator" movie.

It was too early on Tuesday to assess the damage to his Hollywood plans. But Bonnie Fuller, editor in chief of celebrity website HollywoodLife.com, also derided Schwarzenegger as "Arnold the Sperminator" and said it was "way too late to ask for the forgiveness of the public."

"You never would have been elected if Maria hadn't had your back. And certainly you never would have been elected if the voters knew about the affair that produced this child," Fuller wrote.

ADMISSION

Schwarzenegger revealed his secret to his wife after stepping down from his post after serving out two terms as governor.

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

"I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. 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.

"I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time," the statement concluded.

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

Shriver has broken her silence on the subject.

"This is a painful and heartbreaking time," she said. "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 couple announced they were separating last week after 25 years of marriage. They have four children together, aged 14, 18, 20 and 21.

Over the years, the couple's marriage came under close scrutiny, especially during the 2003 recall election of former California Governor Gray Davis, when claims that Schwarzenegger had groped other women came out.

Other reports have blamed Schwarzenegger's ego for the marriage failing, after he recently announced a decision to return to Hollywood to star in another instalment of the blockbuster Terminator movie franchise.

While he maintained he was working on a reconciliation, other sources claimed Shriver was unhappy for some time but had struggled with the concept of divorce due to her strong Catholic faith.

-Cover Media with WA Today and Reuters