Melinda Gates separated from Bill Gates one year before making the 'full decision' about their 2021 divorce
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Melinda and Bill Gates shocked the world when they announced their divorce in 2021 after a marriage life of over 27 years.
In a recent interview, Melinda, 59, revealed that although they announced their divorce in 2021, they had been living apart since 2020.
In a recent interview with Time published on Tuesday, June 18, the philanthropist shared that she chose to remain separated from Bill to gain clarity about their marriage, per Page Six.
Melinda Gates reveals separation from husband in 2020
During the recent interview, Melinda revealed that at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her former husband started taking turns residing in their enormous 66,000-square-foot mansion.
She mentioned that living apart from Bill during that time allowed her to gain a clearer perspective on their marriage, noting, "It gave us the privacy to handle things that needed to be addressed in private."
She explained, “You know, I separated first before I made the full decision about a divorce. And to be able to do that in private while I’m still trying to take care of the kids, while still making certain decisions about how you’re going to disentangle your life—thank God.”
The former couple has three children together: Jennifer, 28, Rory, 23, and Phoebe, 21.
Melinda shared that while her decision to separate was a very “personal thing,” she had to pay attention to several other things, including her children.
The philanthropist continued, “I thought a lot about my three children,” before adding, “But I certainly thought about the effect on the [Bill & Melinda Gates] foundation.”
Melinda added, “Those are the three biggest buckets: me, the kids, and the foundation,” and continued, “And I wanted to make sure that when we came through it to the other side—when I came through it on my side—all of those pieces were intact.”
While coming out of a steady marriage in which she spent 27 years of her adult life was certainly a challenge and “painful” to say the least, Melinda shared that her life “has been wonderful” ever since.
She shared that she has been traveling, spending time with her spiritual groups, and spending time with her family.
As she moved into a cottage-style home - a huge change from her life in the mega-mansion - Melinda claimed she has started enjoying the lesser joys of life as well.
She added, “I live in a neighborhood. Now I can walk to little stores. I can walk to the drugstore, I can walk to a restaurant,” before gushing, “I absolutely love it.”
Melinda Gates is open to love again
Following their 2021 divorce, Bill Gates moved on with his new girlfriend, Paula Hurd, in 2022.
While Melinda was previously linked to former Fox reporter Jon Du Pre, the mother of three has not confirmed any current romantic relationship in her life.
She is, however, open to falling in love again and shared that her ideal partner is "somebody who’s open to learning, vibrant, smart, and someone who challenges me and whom I challenge."
