The very mention of billionaire divorces is enough to capture the attention of the public, so when it was shared that Bill Gates and now-ex-wife Melinda French Gates had split, the couple made headlines. There were reports of the Microsoft co-founder engaging in an affair, and by August 2021, Bill and Melinda were officially divorced. Now, for the first time, Melinda has sat down for an interview where she details the dissolution of her marriage to one of the most influential men in the world.
The philanthropist spoke with Gayle King for CBS Mornings where she stated that she knew that her husband engaged in an affair 20 years ago with a Microsoft employee. The couple was married for 27 years.
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“I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we had worked through some of that,” she said. “It wasn’t one moment or one specific thing that happened. There just came a point in time where there was enough there that I realized it just wasn’t healthy, and I couldn’t trust what we had.”
She admitted to spending many of her days in tears before shifting to anger. “That’s part of the grieving process. You’re grieving a loss of something you thought you had and thought you had for your lifetime,” she said. “I do feel like I’m turning a page in the chapter. I mean, it’s 2022 and I’m actually really excited about what’s to come and life ahead for me.”
Watch the clip of the interview below.