The Gist
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Melinda French Gates appeared on the latest episode of Elizabeth Day’s “How to Fail” podcast.
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She discussed why divorcing Bill Gates was inevitable.
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Melinda was married to the billionaire from 1994 to 2021, and they share three children.
Melinda French Gates just revealed the reason she called it quits with her husband of over 20 years, billionaire Bill Gates. Speaking to Elizabeth Day on the latest episode of her “How to Fail” podcast, Melinda opened up about why she was initially hesitant to go through with the divorce.
“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,” Melinda shared.
She explained that her and Bill’s relationship had a strong “foundation,” adding that the couple’s charity made her consider the decision to divorce more carefully.
“I believed in that work,” she said in reference to the Gates Foundation, which she co-founded with her ex in 2000.
Once Bill’s infidelity was confirmed, however, Melinda felt it was the final straw.
“At some point, I had to turn towards it, and I just knew it and I knew it in my soul,” Melinda said of their relationship being over.
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Melinda and Bill Gates in 2017.
The philanthropist also stated she takes marriage “very seriously.”
“It wasn’t just two of us involved, it was five of us,” Melinda said, referring to her children. She and Bill, who married in 1994 and divorced in 2021, share daughters Jennifer and Phoebe, as well as a son named Rory.
“It’s two people who’ve come together, hopefully in love — and in my case, I would definitely say that — so then the pulling it apart later is really hard,” Melinda shared, reflecting on her relationship with Bill.
Melinda also advised listeners to tune into their intuition, even when it’s “very painful.”
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Melinda and Bill Gates in 2018.
Read the original article on InStyle
