Melinda French Gates opened up about her divorce from billionaire Bill Gates in a new interview with Gayle King that aired on CBS Mornings this week.
The philanthropist, 57, described herself as still being on a “journey of healing” who is still hopeful for what the future holds in a preview for the interview that was released Wednesday.
Melinda French Gates Said the Relationship Devolved to Such a State That She ‘Could Not Trust’ It Any Longer.
French Gates described her relationship as “irretrievably broken” following her learning of Bill Gates’ affair. King asked if she considered working through the issues to save the relationship and asked how she handled it.
“Well, I certainly believe in forgiveness,” French gates replied. “So, I thought we had worked through some of that. It wasn’t one moment or one specific thing that happened. There just came a point in time where there was enough there that I realized it just wasn’t healthy, and I couldn’t trust what we had.”
King then asked about her emotional state when she realized the relationship was over. French Gates likened it to grieving and stressed that she, despite her wealth and privilege, went through the pain just like everyone else.
“I had a lot of tears for many days. Days when I’m literally laying on the floor on the carpet thinking, ‘How can this be? How can I get up? How am I going to move forward?’ The thing is I was certainly angry. That’s part of the grieving process. You’re grieving a loss of something you thought you had… you thought you had for a lifetime.”
“This is painful stuff,” French Gates continued. “At the end of the day, I started on this journey of healing and I feel like I’m starting to get to the other side.”
She then described her optimism after “turning a page” on that chapter of her life, saying, “I’m really excited about what’s to come and life ahead for me.”
Her divorce from Bill Gates divorce was finalized in August. Melinda French Gates said spousal support was not necessary in her original filing. Decisions regarding the division of property were not included in the dissolution decree.
The couple had been married for 27 years before the split. French Gates shares three (adult) children with her former husband.
After the divorce, they will still be working together as co-chairs of the Gates Foundation, a philanthropy and research nonprofit organization. In two years’ time, if it’s become clear that they cannot work together, French Gates will resign her positions as co-chair and trustee in a buyout situation from Bill Gates.