Bill Gates has revealed the reason why divorcing Melinda Gates was the mistake he regrets the most about his entire life.
The pair were married for 27 years and Gates spoke to British newspaper The Times on Saturday about how only now he is starting to feel a bit more cheerful.
“I’m more cheerful now,” he admitted but said the divorce is ‘the mistake I regret the most’.
“There are others but none that matter,” the Microsoft co-founder said. “The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years.”
Both Bill and Melinda are seeing other people now but they have managed to remain on good terms with each other which is for the good of their children and grandchildren.
“Melinda and I still see each other, we have three kids and two grandchildren so there are family events. The kids are doing well. They have good values,” Bill said.
Bill and Melinda first married in 1994 and he said that the marriage ‘kept him grounded’ whilst he was on his way to becoming the richest man in the world.
They share kids Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22, and announced their split in May 2021 although they had been separated for a year by then.
COVID-19 played a role
The 60-year-old Melinda spoke about how the COVID-19 impact helped to facilitate the decision as they were apart.
“It gave us the privacy to do what needed to be done in private,” she said in a June 2024 interview.
During a 2022 interview with Savannah Guthrie, Bill admitted he “caused pain” when she confronted him about a report that he’d had an affair with a Microsoft employee.
“I certainly made mistakes, and I take responsibility,” he replied, adding, “I don’t think delving into the particulars at this point is constructive, but yes, I caused pain, and I feel terrible about that.”