Maria Shriver, the wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger, has had her medical files snooped on by a member of staff at a Los Angeles hospital.

The California governor’s wife is not the only victim of the prying. Former Charlie’s Angels star Farah Fawcett had private information about her cancer struggle unlawfully accessed and eventually made public.

Dr. David Feinberg, the head of the UCLA Hospital System, described the woman behind the breaches in privacy as a "rogue" employee, but insisted a review of her e-mails and phone calls showed no evidence of information being passed on inappropriately.

The woman has been fired as a result.

After being alerted to the security lapse regarding his wife's medical files on Friday, the governator issued a statement slamming the woman's action, adding that "a breach of any patient's medical records is outrageous".

Earlier this year, 12 people were fired and six others suspended after they attempted to defy medical centre rules and obtain confidential information about another of the hospital's famous patients, pop wreck Britney Spears.