Bill Gates Opens Up On 'Difficult' Year Since His Divorce From Melinda

Bill Gates has opened up on his feelings after his divorce from wife Melinda last year, describing the intervening time as the ‘most unusual and difficult’ year of his life.

The 66-year-old wrote a blog post in which he outlined the challenges that he has faced, whilst also acknowledging that it has been hard for everyone else – even those who aren’t multi-billionaires – as we’ve all had to 'adapt to a ‘new normal' as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gates and Melinda split up in May after 27 years married and finalised their divorce in August.

That led Gates to spend large periods of time online and on his own, with ‘stretches of time without any face-to-face social interaction’.

Gates said: “It’s been a strange and disorienting experience. My personal world has never felt smaller than it did over the last twelve months.”

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He added that despite the hardships, the work he has done has been ‘by far the most interesting part of my year’ although he admitted that ‘a lot of people are curious’ about his divorce instead.

Bill said that he and Melinda have managed to work together at their foundation despite the breakup, and now have a ‘good working rhythm’.

That being said, he remarked on 2021 has having been a ‘year of great personal sadness for me’.

“Adapting to change is never easy, no matter what it is,” he said.

He added that he’s ‘been impressed by how resilient my loved ones - especially my kids - have been in this challenging time’.

Furthermore, his nest is now empty, after his youngest child left home.

Bill and Melinda Gates have three children, 25-year-old Jennifer, 22-year-old Rory, and 19-year-old Phoebe.

Phoebe has now left for college at Stanford University, leaving just Bill thrashing around in what we have to imagine as a very large house.

He remarked: “The house is a lot quieter without a bunch of teenagers hanging around all the time.

“I miss having them at home, even if it is easier to focus on reading a book or getting work done these days.”

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On the bright side, he did say that he enjoyed Jennifer’s wedding to Nayel Nassar in October, stating that the event was the ‘highlight of my year’.

Still, the year is nearly over now, and he can look forward to another year that he hopes will be ‘a lot more settled than this one’ in 2022.

Topics: Bill Gates, Microsoft, Technology, Celebrity, Money

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

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