Who Is Arnold Schwarzenegger's Girlfriend? All About Heather Milligan

The actor and physical therapist first met in 2012 and have been together for over a decade

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his girlfriend, Heather Milligan, are going strong after more than a decade together.

“We have so many things in common,” Schwarzenegger told PEOPLE in September 2023. “I think the world of her. I love that she’s into working. She’s clearly independent. She just is driven as hell.”

The Terminator actor was first linked to Milligan in 2013 after splitting from his ex-wife, Maria Shriver, in 2011. The pair were married for 25 years and share four kids: Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher. Schwarzenegger is also dad to Joseph Baena, from his affair with longtime housekeeper Mildred Patricia Baena.

From her career to her relationship with Schwarzenegger, here’s everything to know about Milligan.

She’s a physical therapist

Milligan is a physical therapist with “over 20 years of experience in the field,” per her bio on Elite OrthoSport, a company she founded in 2013. In addition to having her degree in Physical Therapy, she also has her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

The Elite OrthoSport website adds that she “maintains three highly regarded certifications, placing her in an elite class of physical therapists in the country.”

Her job also comes with one really cool perk for Schwarzenegger. As he told PEOPLE in February 2024, professional athletes including football players, boxers and UFC fighters end up at her clinic for therapy after their surgeries, where Milligan's job is to "kind of rebuild them."

"I get to meet a lot of those football players when they come to her clinic because I go there sometimes myself and get some therapy sessions done and all that stuff," he said. "So she's heavily into football and all of the sports, basketball, baseball and all of that. So because of her, I'll watch also."

She’s a former competitive gymnast

Like Schwarzenegger, Milligan is incredibly athletic. Before founding Elite OrthoSport, she was a competitive gymnast for 20 years. She has also worked “extensively with athletes of all ages and competition levels including professional boxing, MMA, NFL, NBA, MLB, tennis, figure skating, volleyball, soccer, track, gymnastics, and a variety of recreational athletes,” per her Elite OrthoSport bio.

She’s a big animal lover

If Milligan’s Instagram account is any indication, she clearly has a soft spot for animals. In addition to posting various photos of her dogs, she regularly shares photos of Schwarzenegger’s miniature pony, Whiskey, and donkey Lulu.

She and Schwarzenegger first met in 2012 as he recovered from shoulder surgery

Milligan and Schwarzenegger met in 2012 following his shoulder surgery as he was preparing to film 2013’s Escape Plan with Sylvester Stallone (who, coincidentally, had shoulder surgery the same day).

Wanting to get in fighting shape in just three months before cameras rolled, the star asked his surgeon for a recommendation. "I said, 'I got to go do this movie, and I bring a lot of punches and I have fights with Sly and I want to have my act together,'" he recalled to PEOPLE.

"And so he says, 'There's only one (person), it's Heather — any athlete, I always send them to her, because she's the only one that really knows what they’re talking about.' So I went to her, and then after my therapy was finished, after I was finished with the movie, I called her back and took her out for lunch to say thank you. And then one thing led to the next.”

She and Schwarzenegger have been together for more than a decade

After meeting in 2012, Schwarzenegger and Milligan sparked dating rumors in 2013, as they were spotted on several dates together in Santa Monica. Though Milligan has only shared a few glimpses of their relationship on Instagram, she has stepped out for numerous public events with the actor.

One of their first public appearances was at the Environmental Media Awards in October 2014 and they later stepped out on the red carpet together for the Goldene Kamera reception in February 2015.

In addition to attending receptions and movie premieres, they have regularly attended Oktoberfest together through the years.

She’s close with Schwarzenegger’s kids

Milligan appears to have a close relationship with Schwarzenegger’s children, as she has stepped out with them on various occasions.

In November 2017, Milligan was photographed with Schwarzenegger and his son Patrick at the GQ Men Of The Year Awards, and in November 2018, she and Schwarzenegger stepped out with his daughter Katherine and his now-son-in-law Chris Pratt at FIG restaurant at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, California.

“Chris and Katherine met up with Arnold and his girlfriend Heather for Sunday breakfast at the FIG restaurant,” a source told PEOPLE at the time. “Arnold seemed happy that Chris and Katherine joined him.” A separate insider told PEOPLE the group was a “lively bunch” at their table.

In September 2022, she and Schwarzenegger met up with more of his family as they enjoyed a drink with his sons Christopher and Patrick at Oktoberfest in Germany.

She's a "fanatic about sports"

During an appearance on Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce's podcast, New Heights, Schwarzenegger admitted that he still struggles to understand American football at times. Luckily, Milligan is well-versed in the topic.

"Ten years ago, I fell in love with Heather, my girlfriend, who is a physical therapist, who treats a lot of football players and boxers and UFC fighters and basketball players, and she's really a fanatic about sports, especially about football," the actor told the hosts. "So, now I'm sitting with her and she's explaining if I have any questions."

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Read the original article on People.