Melinda French Gates has spoken candidly about her choice to file for divorce from Bill Gates after twenty-seven years of marriage, stating that her decision ultimately stemmed from a personal place.
“When that voice would come — and it would come at different times because of things that had happened outside the marriage that I would later come to learn about — I kept pushing it away,” the 60-year-old philanthropist revealed on Wednesday’s episode of the podcast “How to Fail with Elizabeth Day.”
Melinda French Gates says she ‘took marriage very seriously’
French Gates acknowledged feeling under pressure to keep the marriage intact for their three kids and their joint charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Speaking about the philanthropic venture, French Gates said that they had a huge foundation, and she supported that effort, adding that her inner voice eventually grew too loud to ignore.
She clarified, “At some point I had to turn towards it, and I just knew it and I knew it in my soul.”
According to her, she took a long time to realize that her wedding with the co-founder of Microsoft was irreparable.
She mentioned, “I took marriage — and I still do — very, very seriously and it wasn’t just two of us involved, it was five of us,” referring to the ex-couple’s children.
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Melinda French Gates’ divorce with Bill Gates
In 2021, the couple declared their separation, citing their inability to “grow together as a couple in this next phase of life.”
When “Today” program presenter Savannah Guthrie questioned the tech leader about whether adultery was a factor in the divorce, Bill acknowledged that he “caused pain” to his family.
During her appearance on “CBS Mornings” that year, Melinda alluded to the notion that her ex-husband’s involvement with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein also had a role in their breakup.
“I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made that clear to him,” she had stated. “He was abhorrent. He was evil personified.”
Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates find new love
The two have subsequently moved on romantically after their breakup, with Melinda falling in love with Philip Vaughn, her business partner.
Meanwhile, Bill began dating Paula Hurd, the widow of Oracle CEO Mark Hurd and an ex-tech executive at NCR Global.
