Shriver, speaking on Tuesday at a conference on women, said the media circus surrounding Smith's accidental drug overdose death last February led to her decision.

'It was then that I knew that the TV news business had changed and so had I,' Shriver said. 'I called NBC News and told them I'm not coming back.' Shriver took an extended leave from the network when husband Arnold Schwarzenegger ran for California governor in 2003. After his victory, she made two appearances as an anchor for 'Dateline NBC.' In 2004, she announced she was leaving NBC News because she was unable to juggle her work as a journalist with her duties as California's first lady.

Shriver's remarks on Tuesday came during the annual California Governor and First Lady's Conference on Women. Schwarzenegger, preoccupied by the wildfires sweeping Southern California, made only a brief appearance via satellite at the conference.

He had been scheduled to take part in a discussion with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. -- AP