The “Terminator” star and the physical therapist met in 2012 after Schwarzenegger underwent shoulder surgery.

Arnold Schwarzenegger makes rare appearance with girlfriend of 14 years at climate summit in Austria

The "Terminator" star and the physical therapist met in 2012 after Schwarzenegger underwent shoulder surgery.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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June 17, 2026 11:46 a.m. ET

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Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Beacon Theatre in New York City in May. Credit:

Roy Rochlin/Getty

- Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative in Austria with girlfriend Heather Milligan by his side.

- The actor and the physical therapist have been dating for over a decade after meeting following Schwarzenegger's 2012 shoulder surgery.

- “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 *star gushed.

It's date night for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The *Terminator** *star attended the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative on Tuesday as part of the Austrian World Summit in Vienna with his girlfriend, Heather Milligan.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Austria’s president, Alexander Van der Bellen, also attended the summit, which the actor founded in 2017. The program included talks focused on topics like pollution, sustainable food, and future generations of climate leadership.

Schwarzenegger has been passionate about climate change throughout his career as a politician. The initiative's motto is "Unite in Action — Terminate Pollution," winking at one of his most famous roles.

Heather Milligan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Kamala Harris at the Austrian World Summit on June 16.

Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty

Schwarzenegger and the physical therapist met through a medical referral when the actor underwent shoulder surgery in 2012 for the 2013 Sylvester Stallone film *Escape Plan*.

"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,'" Schwarzenegger recalled telling his surgeon, according 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.'"

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"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.

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Though Schwarzenegger frequently makes appearances at premieres and industry events, Milligan isn't often by his side. She previously attended the Raising Hope for Climate Justice Press Conference in Vatican City last September.

Milligan also posed on the red carpet with Schwarzenegger for the season 2 premiere of *FUBAR *in Los Angeles in 2023. She joined the Schwarzenegger family for Oktoberfest in Munich in September 2022.

Heather Milligan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kamala Harris, Alexander Van der Bellen, and Christian Stocker at the Austrian World Summit on June 16.

Joe Klamar / AFP via Getty

“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.”

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