Bill Gates made an honest admission when reflecting on the 'mistake' he made while divorcing his ex-wife Melinda.
The Microsoft CEO recently opened up about his 2021 divorce, which he described as being at 'the top of the list' in terms of life failures.
Despite claiming to be on good terms with his ex-wife Melinda, he noted that 'the divorce thing was miserable' over its two-year duration.
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But it didn't take long for Gates to move on, as he has been dating Paula Hurd since 2023.
He opened up in an interview with the Sunday Times, about how the marriage ended.
The 69-year-old said that while he is 'more cheerful now', the divorce was the 'mistake' he 'most regretted'.
He added: "There are others, but none that matter."
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The CEO said there is a 'certain wonderfulness to spending your entire adult life with one person'.
“When Melinda and I met, I was fairly successful but not ridiculously successful — that came during the time that we were together", he said. "So, she saw me through a lot. 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.”
Gates noted that the two still see each other often, as they share three children together - Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22.
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He explained: "We have three kids and two grandchildren so there are family events. The kids are doing well. They have good values."
The couple tied the knot in 1994, and while neither one have ever revealed the real reason behind their divorce, it is known that Gates had an affair during the relationship.
He previously admitted that he cheated on his ex-wife with an employee.
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Speaking with CBS Mornings in 2022, Melinda explained how she felt her relationship with her ex-husband deteriorated over time.
She said: "It wasn’t one moment or one specific thing that happened.
"There just came a point in time where there was enough there that I realised it wasn’t healthy and I couldn’t trust what we had."
Addressing the comments, Gates opened up to CBS News, noting that he 'will always be sorry for the pain that I caused Melinda and our family'.
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He said: "I admire Melinda and everything she does to improve the lives of women and girls around the world, and I’m grateful for the work we continue to do together at our foundation."
Melinda reflected on the divorce in an interview with Time magazine, when she said: "Getting a divorce is a horrible thing. It’s just painful. It’s awful when you realise you need one."
Topics: Celebrity, Technology, Sex and Relationships
Mia Williams