All About Arnold Schwarzenegger's Girlfriend, Heather Milligan
All About Arnold Schwarzenegger's Girlfriend, Heather Milligan
Kelsie Gibson, Caroline BlairFri, May 1, 2026 at 5:11 PM UTC
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Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heather Milligan attend An Evening with Arnold Schwarzenegger at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on June 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures -
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heather Milligan met in 2012 when she helped him recover from shoulder surgery
The actor and the physical therapist started dating the following year and have been going strong ever since
The couple had a rare public date night in April 2026
Arnold Schwarzenegger has been in a relationship with Heather Milligan for nearly 15 years.
The Terminator actor and the physical therapist met in 2012 when she helped him recover from shoulder surgery. They sparked romance rumors in 2013 after they were spotted on several date nights around California and slowly started emerging in the public eye for occasional events.
Schwarzenegger's relationship with Milligan marked his first public romance since separating from his wife of 25 years, Maria Shriver, in 2011. The former couple share four kids: Katherine, Christina, Patrick and Christopher. Schwarzenegger is also dad to Joseph Baena, who he welcomed with longtime housekeeper Mildred Patricia Baena.
“We have so many things in common,” Schwarzenegger told PEOPLE of Milligan 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.”
In April 2026, Schwarzenegger and Milligan made a rare public outing when they were photographed outside the popular Nobu restaurant in Malibu, Calif.
So, who is Arnold Schwarzenegger's girlfriend? Here’s everything to know about Heather Milligan and her relationship with the actor.
She’s a physical therapist
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heather Milligan at the 2017 BAMBI awards ceremony on November 16, 2017 at the Stage Theatre on Potsdamer Platz in BerlinCredit: TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty
Milligan is a physical therapist with “over 25 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 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
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heather Milligan arrive for the GQ Men of the year Award 2017 at Komische Oper on November 9, 2017 in Berlin, GermanyCredit: Gisela Schober/Getty
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.
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She and Schwarzenegger first met in 2012 as he recovered from shoulder surgery
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heather Milligan attend the 'Maggie' Premiere and Golden Icon Award Ceremony during the Zurich Film Festival on September 30, 2015 in Zurich, SwitzerlandCredit: Andreas Rentz/Getty
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 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," Schwarzenegger said.
She and Schwarzenegger have been together for more than a decade
Arnold Schwarzenegger and his partner Heather Milligan visit the Schuetzenfestzelt during the Oktoberfest 2015 at Theresienwiese on September 24, 2015 in Munich, GermanyCredit: Gisela Schober/Getty
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
Heather Milligan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christopher Schwarzenegger and Patrick Schwarzenegger at Oktoberfest on September 24, 2022 in Munich, GermanyCredit: Gisela Schober/Getty
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, Calif.
“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 at Oktoberfest in Germany.
She's a "fanatic about sports"
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Heather Milligan attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on November 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Allen Berezovsky/Getty
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."
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
