Billionaire Bill Gates: Divorcing his wife was his biggest regret.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - American tech billionaire Bill Gates admits that he regrets divorcing Melinda French.

Billionaire Bill Gates (Photo: Reuters).

In an interview with the Times of London published last weekend, Gates, 69, spoke about his 2021 divorce from his wife of 27 years.

He revealed that one of his biggest life goals is to have a 45-year marriage like his parents.

He spoke candidly about his decision to divorce Melinda French, calling it "the mistake I regret the most."

"I used to encourage Melinda to be more laid-back than my mother, but we're both very ambitious. I spend more time with the children than my father did, but the ratio is still 10/1, Melinda handles most of the child-related matters. We've had a wonderful time," he shared.

Ms. French and Mr. Gates married in 1994 in Hawaii. They co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, a non-profit organization focused on poverty reduction and combating disease globally. However, after their separation, Ms. French, 60, resigned from the foundation in May 2024.

When asked if his divorce was the only failure in his life, Gates replied, "You could say that's at the top of the list. There were other things, but nothing was as important."

"The divorce was a miserable time for me and Melinda for at least two years," he added, sharing that he has been "happier" in the nearly four years since the separation, but still considers it "the mistake I regret the most."

Despite their divorce, the two remain in contact because they have three children together: Rory (25), Phoebe (22), and Jennifer (28), along with two granddaughters, Leila and Mia, Jennifer's daughters. Both Gates and his ex-wife are currently dating other people.

Last year, Melinda also shared about her divorce, saying that although it was difficult and painful, separating from her husband brought her "wonderful" new opportunities.

She revealed that they had begun living separately during the Covid-19 pandemic, taking turns staying in their shared home with their children. "That gave us the privacy to deal with what needed to be done without anyone noticing. I lived separately before making the final decision about divorce. Luckily, I had the space to do that," she said.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/ty-phu-bill-gates-ly-hon-vo-la-sai-lam-gay-hoi-tiec-lon-nhat-20250128145337939.htm