On May 3, Bill and Melinda Gates announced that after 27 years of marriage, they will be separating as a couple. In their joint statement, the now-former couple revealed that they worked hard over the last several years to make it work.
However, they have come to the conclusion that they “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.” You can read their statement in full below.
RELATED: Bill and Melinda Gates Announce Divorce 27 Years After Saying ‘I Do’
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”
Now, one of their daughter, Jennifer Gates, is speaking out with a statement of her own, following her parents’ public announcement.
Jennifer is one of Bill and Melinda Gates’s three children.
The 24-year-old is currently a medical school student. She is the oldest of the Gates siblings. “Hi friends,” Jennifer began her statement. “By now, many of you have heard the news that my parents are separating.”
Jennifer continued, admitting that “it’s been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family,” and that she’s “still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as family members at this time, and am grateful for the space to do so.”
“I won’t personally comment further on anything around the separation, but please know that your kind words and support mean the world to me. Thank you for understanding our desire for privacy while we navigate the next phases of our lives. With love and respect, Jenn xx.”
As Mamas Uncut previously reported, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will move forward as it continues towards its goal of combating disease and poverty at home and abroad. Bill and Melinda first met in 1987 before getting married on New Year’s Day in 1994 in Hawaii.
Melinda worked for Microsoft, which Bill co-founded in 1975, before leaving in 1996 to start their family. The Gates family are among the wealthiest families in the world.
According to court documents obtained Tuesday by NBC News, Melinda Gates said her marriage is “irretrievably broken,” and asked the court “to dissolve our marriage and find that our marital community ended on the date stated in our separation contract.”
Additionally, the mom of three said she does not need spousal support. According to NBC News, it is not clear when the couple officially separated.
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