Melinda Gates: Choosing to leave ex-husband Bill was my 'lowest moment'
More about: melinda gates Melinda Gates: Bill's work with 'abhorrent' Jeffrey Epstein played a role in divorce Bill Gates arrives in New York by helicopter for daughter Jennifer's wedding Jennifer Gates arrives at beauty salon from New York with her mother Melinda before the wedding Melinda Gates arrives in New York by helicopter wearing a bunch of designer rags
Melinda French Gates says realizing she needed to divorce Bill Gates after 27 years of marriage and three children was the "lowest moment" of her life.
The billionaire philanthropist admitted that everyone has "low times" and is "not happy every day" in an interview with USA Today published on Sunday, adding that divorce was not something she "ever thought would happen to her." .
"It certainly wasn't what I thought the day I got married," she said. "But I realized for myself, I needed to make a healthier choice, and that was a very, very sad day."
Gates, 66, and French Gates, 57, announced their separation in May 2021.
"After much thought and work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the former couple said in a joint statement at the time.
“We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life."
Their divorce was finalized in August 2021.
French Gates recently revealed how her ex-husband's friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein played a role in her decision to end the marriage.
"I didn't like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made it clear to him," the former computer scientist told Gayle King on "CBS Mornings" earlier this month.
“He was abominable. He was evil personified. My heart breaks for these women."
Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates were married between 1994 and 2021. Melinda Gates/Instagram
However, French Gates clarified that this was not the only reason for the marriage's demise, adding that it was "not one thing but many things."
Gates allegedly had an affair with a Microsoft employee, which the company's board learned of in 2019.
“I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we had worked on some of that,” French Gates told the 67-year-old King. “It wasn't a specific time or thing that happened. There came a time when there was enough in there and I realized it wasn't healthy and I couldn't trust what we had."
The former couple, who started the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation together, have daughters Jennifer, 25, and Phoebe, 19, and a son, Rory, 22.
