Melinda Gates shares shock details about what happened ‘outside’ with her marriage to Bill who led to a divorce

Melinda Gates opens the emotional journey of ending her 27 -year marriage with one of the world’s most recognizable billionaires – revealing that despite the public spotlights and high efforts, the decision eventually came from a deep personal place.

In a recent interview about the Podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, Gates spoke frankly about the moment she realized her marriage Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was over.

The two had been together for almost three decades and not only built a family, but also one of the most powerful philanthropic foundations in the world.

“If that voice came – and it would come at different times because of things that had happened outside the marriage that I would come to learn about later – I kept pushing him away,” said Melinda.

She explained that she felt enormous pressure to maintain the relationship, not only for themselves, but also for their three children and their joint work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates said that she had been ignored her instinct for years and buried them under the weight of motherhood, worldwide responsibility and a shared legacy.

“We had a basis and that was great and I believed in that work.

“I still believe in the work of the foundation,” she said.

But in the end she explained that her inner voice became too loud to silence.

“At one point I had to turn to it, and I just knew it and I knew it in my soul,” said Melinda.

She emphasized that the process of achieving that decision was not easy or easy.

“I took the marriage – and I still do that – very, very seriously and it was not only two of us involved, they were five of us,” she said, referring to their children.

The couple announced their divorce in 2021 and stated that although they could no longer grow as a few together, they would continue to work together on their philanthropic efforts.

Shortly thereafter, reports appeared that Bill, now 69, reportedly had an affair with a Microsoft employee years earlier, something that reportedly contributed to the erosion of trust in marriage.

Melinda did not confirm the exact timeline from when she heard about the rumors, but she told CBS mornings in 2022 that I certainly believe in forgiveness.

“So I thought we had gone through it.”

She explained that leaving marriage required serious introspection and loneliness.

“I had to take time, quiet time with myself, time to ask myself, well,” why am I staying? What would it be like if I left? “She said.

Bill Gates previously responded to accusations of an illegitimate affair on the first anniversary of the joint announcement that he and Melinda are separating.

“I certainly made mistakes, and I take responsibility,” he told today when he was asked if he was ever unfaithful.

“The divorce is definitely a sad thing. I am responsible for causing a lot of pain in my family. It was a difficult year. I feel good that we are all moving forward now. ‘

Despite the pain, Gates said that she still believes in love and partnership.

“They are two people who came together, hopefully in love – and in my case I would certainly say that – so then it will be really difficult later,” she said.

Since the divorce, the former couple have continued to work professionally, the most recently work on issues related to gender equality and global health.

Nevertheless, Gates has carved its own identity as a philanthropist and lawyer, in which she increasingly uses her platform to speak of empowerment of women and reproductive rights.

In her memoirs The Moment of Lift: how empowerment of women the world changes, she hinted at the emotional weight she wore for years in her marriage and wrote that she often felt unheard of and invisible in meetings and in her personal life.

Now Gates seems to be more tailored to her own voice – one that she admits that she has ignored too long.

“If you have an inner way … it is really important to listen to it and follow it,” she said.

Although she recognized the pain of divorce, she also validated the experience of others who went through it, regardless of circumstances.

“It doesn’t matter who it is,” she said. “It’s very painful to continue.”

Now that her children and her foundation work are evolving, Gates continues to think about what it means to lead a life that is not led by obligation, but by authenticity.