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Melinda Gates responds to Bill Gates' claim their divorce is the ‘mistake he most regrets’

Home> Celebrity> News

Published 13:03 18 Mar 2025 GMT

Melinda Gates responds to Bill Gates' claim their divorce is the ‘mistake he most regrets’

The philanthropist responded to Bill Gates' comments about their split which took place in 2021

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

Melinda Gates has responded after her ex-husband Bill Gates described their divorce as the mistake he 'most regrets' in his 69 years of life.

Bill and Melinda Gates announced their plans to go their separate ways in May 2021, after 27 years of marriage during which they welcomed three children.

Throughout their relationship, the couple carried out numerous philanthropic acts including investments into access to vaccines for children, and the creation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which seeks to try and combat global poverty and disease.

Bill and Melinda Gates have become known for their philanthropy (Frederic Stevens/Getty Images)
Bill and Melinda Gates have become known for their philanthropy (Frederic Stevens/Getty Images)

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Following their divorce, Melinda explained she and Bill had reached a point in their relationship that 'wasn't healthy', and she 'couldn't trust' what they had.

So they split up - but in January 2025, Bill described his split from Melinda as 'the mistake [he] most regret[s]'.

In a newly released interview with Elle, Melinda has now responded to her ex-husband's comments and admitted that leaving her marriage was one of the hardest things she has ever done.

However, the philanthropist said the split was also one of the most important things she's done.

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Upon being told that reports were questioning whether Bill and Melinda would get back together, Melinda responded: "You’ve clearly Googled more than I have."

She continued: "Look, divorces are painful, and it’s not something I would wish on any family.”

Melinda described her divorce as 'painful' (Christian Liewig - Corbis/Getty Images)
Melinda described her divorce as 'painful' (Christian Liewig - Corbis/Getty Images)

Though the split after a near 30-year marriage took its toll, Melinda has high hopes for her future.

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When asked what she hoped people would find upon Googling her in five years time, Melinda said: “She’s thriving on the other side of a divorce. Just thriving."

Following her split from Bill, Melinda decided to resign from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2024.

Bill admitted her resignation was tough for him, but he looked back fondly on their relationship when he spoke to The Times in January.

He said: “There is a certain wonderfulness to spending your entire adult life with one person because of the memories and depth of things you have done and having kids together. When Melinda and I met, I was fairly successful but not ridiculously successful — that came during the time that we were together. So, she saw me through a lot.

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"When we got divorced it was tough and then she made the decision to leave the foundation — I was disappointed that she took the option to go off.”

Melinda has now committed $2 billion to 'expanding women’s power and influence' both in the US and across the globe.

Featured Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Robin Hood

Topics: Bill Gates, Money, Sex and Relationships

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

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  • Bill Gates admits divorce from ex-wife Melinda is the ‘mistake he most regrets’
  • Melinda Gates discusses 'painful' divorce from Bill Gates and details ‘things that happened outside the marriage’
  • Melinda Gates reveals how ex-husband Bill Gates reacted when she asked for a divorce
  • Which jobs will most likely be replaced with AI first after Bill Gates revealed the only three he believes will survive

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