This is the single word Bill Gates’ ex-wife used to describe her painful divorce
Melinda and Bill Gates went through a long-term divorce that took its toll on the pair.
Bill Gates and his longtime wife, Melinda Gates, ended their 27-year marriage with a long and emotionally draining divorce that ended in 2021, putting an end to a relationship that began in 1994.
Melinda, a Texas-born philanthropist, had remained mostly private about the split, but she recently opened up on the matter in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE magazine, labelling the process “gruelling”.
The interview came as a result of her new book, “The Next Day”, which is set for release on April 15, and admitted to PEOPLE that “it was important for me to be real” in her words.
“Hopefully it might be helpful to someone else”, she was quick to point out.
‘Bill acknowledged he wasn’t faithful to me’
“Bill has publicly acknowledged that he wasn’t always faithful to me,” she writes in her book, with PEOPLE adding that “her dreams transformed into a vision of her and Bill and their three children on the edge of a cliff as she “plummeted” into the void."
“As dramatic as it sounds,” she penned. “I knew, in that moment, that I was going to have to make a decision—and that I was going to have to make it by myself."
When the time came to make their split public, the couple released the following statement online: “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.
Melinda French Gates Shares the Sweet and Sad Story Behind Son Rory’s Name (Exclusive) https://t.co/YJAsopi6q3
— People (@people) April 5, 2025
“We have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”
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