Divorced for three years Melinda Gates talks about her separation from Bill

Fabian Tschamper

20.6.2024

Melinda and Bill Gates were married for almost 30 years before calling it quits in 2021.
Melinda and Bill Gates were married for almost 30 years before calling it quits in 2021.
Picture: IMAGO/UPI Photo

They divorced after 30 years: Melinda and Bill Gates have been going their separate ways since 2021. Now she talks about it and reveals why the pandemic helped with the whole process.

No time? blue News summarizes for you

  • Melinda Gates said the pandemic helped keep her separation from Bill Gates a secret from the public.
  • She and Bill Gates continued to work together for their foundation despite the divorce.
  • Bill Gates admitted his infidelity and took responsibility for the pain he had caused his family.

The pandemic made their difficult and very private time easier, says Melinda Gates (59) in an interview with Time magazine.

She has been officially divorced from Microsoft founder Bill Gates (68) since 2021. The businesswoman now talks about what this has done to her: "Before I made the decision to get divorced, I separated first," says Gates. Thanks to the pandemic, she was able to keep the end of the relationship - including the initial separation - a secret from the public.

"The pandemic unusually gave us the privacy to do what needed to be done in private," explains the US American.

Infidelity was one of the reasons for the divorce

The problem also lay with the foundation that Melinda and Bill Gates had set up. "When we were dealing with the details of the divorce and were sad, we still supported the foundation." She has since left the foundation.

The marriage broke up after almost 30 years, one of the triggers being infidelity. Bill Gates confirmed this in an interview shortly after the divorce was announced: "Yes, I caused pain and I feel terrible about it. I am responsible for causing my family a lot of pain. It's been a tough year," he said at the time.


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