Bill Gates says he’s ‘lucky to have a serious girlfriend’ after admitting he regrets divorcing ex Melinda
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Billionaire Bill Gates recently claimed that he is “lucky to have a serious girlfriend” just days after saying his divorce from former wife Melinda in 2021 was his biggest regret.
During an interview with Savannah Guthrie on the ‘Today’ show on Tuesday, February 4, the Microsoft founder discussed his life with his new girlfriend, Paula Hurd. The two were first linked in 2022 but it was not confirmed until 2023, according to OK! Magazine.
Bill Gates talks about spending quality time with GF Paula Hurd
Bill Gates said during the interview, “I’m lucky to have a serious girlfriend named Paula. We’re having fun, going to the Olympics, and lots of great things.”
The billionaire added, “I moved past the divorce. And Melinda's doing well. I got a lot of work that I love to do so I'm not really complaining about anything.”
He further said, “The divorce wasn't great. Having those three kids, the work we were able to do together — even if I knew that it wouldn't last forever, I would still do it again.”
Gates also mentioned, “My business career, though, there’s been some up and downs, has been incredibly phenomenal. My kids are phenomenal. So it’s even hard for me to complain about things. I’ve got a lot of work that I love to do. So I’m not really complaining about anything.”
Notably, Gates and Hurd walked the red carpet together and also attended a Baylor University basketball game and the 2024 Olympics, according to NBC News.
In Gates’ memoir, ‘Source Code: My Beginnings’, the billionaire gave his girlfriend a shoutout. He wrote, “Early readers of the manuscript included Paula Hurd, Marc St. John, and Sheila Gulati. The close read from dear and trusted friends provided much-needed thoughtful and insightful feedback at critical stages in the writing.”
Notably, Hurd was earlier married to Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, who died in October 2019 after a battle with cancer.
Bill Gates says divorce from ex Melinda remains his biggest regret
In a January interview with The Times of London, Bill Gates talked about the end of his 27-year marriage to Melinda and described it as “the mistake I most regret".
He admitted during the interview, “When we got divorced, it was tough. The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years.”
Notably, Bill and Melinda first met in 1987 when she began working at Microsoft, the company Gates co-founded. They got married in 1994 and announced their separation in May 2021, citing irreconcilable differences.
Gates added during the interview, “There is a certain wonderfulness to spending your entire adult life with one person because of the memories and depth of things you have done and having kids together.”
He also mentioned that when they got married, his career was scaling upward but he had not yet reached the level of “ridiculous success” that came after.
He added that Melinda “saw me through a lot” while emphasizing her role in their shared journey.
