'It's unbelievably painful': Melinda French opens up about divorce with Bill Gates

Melinda French Gates has opened up about her divorce with her billionaire ex-husband Bill Gates in an interview with Fortune magazine. The two got divorced in May 2021 after being married for 27 years. It was finalised in August 2021.

"I had some reasons, I just couldn't stay in that marriage anymore," the 58-year-old philanthropist said in an interview. "But the odd thing about Covid is that it gave me the privacy to do what I needed to do."

She added, "It's unbelievably painful, in innumerable ways, but I had the privacy to get through it."

They have three children together — Jennifer, 25, Rory, 23, and Phoebe, 19. "My main concern, of course, was trying to protect my kids through it," French Gates told Fortune. "And we got to the other side."

The two continue to run their foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, together.

"I kept working with the person I was moving away from, and I needed to show up and be my best self every single day." She added, "So even though I might be crying at 9 am and then have to be on a video conference at 10 am with the person I'm leaving, I have to show up and be my best."

In a March interview with CBS, French Gates had said that she and her ex-husband remained "friendly" with each other, and maintained professional ties.

(With inputs from agencies)