Once her husband announced his plans to run for governorship, she took unpaid leave of absence from NBC News to support her husband’s political aspirations. She quit her job in 2004 to focus on her role as First Lady of California. Baena finally gave up her job in January after 20 years in the service of Schwarzenegger. Her son is said to have been an ‘occasional presence’ at the family’s home. Schwarzenegger is understood to have been ‘generous’ to Baena after learning had fathered her child.