Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'mistress' declared she fears for her life since when she sold their love story to an American magazine.

Gigi Goyette, who dated Arnold in the '70s, declared the article published by US tabloid the National Enquirer where she told her love story with Arnold, and for which she was payed $25,000, wasn't entirely true.

The article claimed Goyette dated the California governor behind his wife Maria Shriver's back, but Gigi denied allegations, declaring she never told the magazine she had an affair with Arnold while he was married, and when she tried to get a correction printed, she was refused.

The woman also claims she fears for her life and has been keeping a loaded gun at her home in Malibu, California, insisting that Schwarzenegger is a powerful man who can keep somebody quiet if he wants to.

Speaking exclusively to chat show host Donny Deutsch on his Big Idea show on Tuesday (20 September 05), she said, "I wouldn't call it a romantic relationship... We dated a little bit, but 30 years ago.

"(Now) he feels that some of the things that went on between us at that time would damage his reputation. I really think it stems from them thinking of those headlines and that story in 2001 that damaged him running at that point.

They said that he didn't run (then) as a result of that story. They used me as a scapegoat. I don't know what everybody is afraid about because there is nothing damaging."

She adds, "He's a huge American idol to a lot of people... I've always been fearful that perhaps there would be some retaliation by somebody in his immediate group to come after me or hurt me or my family and for that."