Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates admitted he would marry his ex-wife Melinda 'all over again' while reflecting on their split one year on.
The couple announced their divorce in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage, saying at the time they had done 'a lot of work' on their relationship but believed they could no longer 'grow together as a couple'.
Gates and Melinda first met in the 1980s when Melinda joined Gates' Microsoft firm, and they went on to welcome three children, Jenner, Rory and Phoebe, and set up the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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The business magnate described the last two years as 'pretty dramatic' during an interview with The Times released today (1 May), but said even with the Covid-19 pandemic and his divorce, the 'weirdest part' for him has been his children leaving.
"The youngest just went off to college. She always had ten friends over. As I come out of the pandemic and we are back to ‘normal’, it’s actually pretty different,” he said.
Gates expressed plans to have 'lots of interesting dinners' at his big house in Seattle, but said that while the home 'lends itself to great discussions' it 'feels too big most of the time'. He described how every marriage 'goes through a transition' after children have grown up and left home, and for him the transition was 'called divorce'.
In spite of its ending, Gates said from his point of view he had a 'great marriage', adding: "I wouldn’t have changed it. You know, I wouldn’t choose to marry someone else.”
When asked if he would marry again, the Microsoft co-founder responded: "Yes. I’m talking about would I marry Melinda all over again. In terms of my future, I don’t have any plans, but I highly recommend marriage.”
Gates admitted he didn't know whether he was slowly coming to terms with his divorce, saying 'simple characterisations aren't appropriate'. However, he feels 'lucky' that he still gets to work with Melinda, explaining: "We have the annual employee meeting at the Foundation and the Giving Pledge and the annual meeting in June that she and I host together.”
He believes he is still friends with his ex-wife, saying they have a 'super-important, complex, close relationship' in which they have chosen to work together and adding: "And I’m very happy that we get to work together. You know, we built the Foundation together."
As for why the marriage came to an end in the first place, Gates said he wouldn't use the challenge of balancing family life with running Microsoft as an 'excuse', and instead simply said marriages 'are so complex that to delve into that isn’t worthwhile'.
Topics: Bill Gates, Microsoft, Technology, Sex and Relationships, Celebrity
Emily Brown