Melinda gets honest about 'painful' divorce from Bill Gates
What's the story
Melinda French Gates, billionaire Bill Gates's former wife, recently spoke about their "painful" divorce in an interview with Elle.
She stressed that divorce was a difficult process and one she wouldn't wish on any family. This comes after Bill called their separation the "mistake" he regrets the most.
French Gates said filing for divorce was one of the hardest yet most important decisions she's made.
New beginnings
'A woman should have her full voice'
Despite the difficulties of her divorce, French Gates is looking ahead. When asked how she sees herself five years from now, she simply said, "Just thriving."
The 60-year-old philanthropist and women's rights advocate said having time for herself has been "pretty wonderful," and also making business decisions on her own.
"A woman should have her full voice, her full decision-making authority. It's nice to have that."
French Gates married Bill in 1994, seven years after they met at Microsoft.
New relationship
French Gates has been dating Philip Vaughn now
The billionaire philanthropist has stepped back into the dating scene since her divorce. She went public with her new boyfriend, entrepreneur Philip Vaughn when she was spotted with him in New York City in October 2024.
Vaughn is known for his work at Microsoft and is currently the founder and chairman of Tavour, a craft beer delivery service.
Bill (69), meanwhile, has been dating Paula Hurd (62), Oracle CEO Mark Hurd's widow, for over two years.
Relationship issues
She previously listed many reasons behind divorce, including Epstein ties
In a 2022 interview, French Gates said their divorce was caused due to "many things," including trust issues arising from Bill's alleged affair and his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
She said she didn't like Bill's meetings with Epstein, "I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made that clear to [Bill]."
The couple, who share three children, divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.