Melinda Gates reveals what helped her get through ‘rough’ divorce from Bill Gates
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: Bill Gates’ unexpected split from Melinda Gates after 27 years of marriage left everyone stumped. The co-founders of the Bill and Melinda foundation took to Twitter on May 4, 2021, to announce the news of their divorce. Now, Melinda has claimed that 'philanthropy' helped them get through their tough divorce and smoothened 'difficult' aspects of their breakup.
The computer scientist, 58, who dedicated much of her life to giving back, told Good Morning America about the plus sides of giving back and how the charity work helped her get through her split from her billionaire Microsoft founder ex-husband.
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"Our philanthropy actually called us to be our best selves, even during the most difficult times behind the scenes," she said, adding that working on the organization through their divorce held them together and allowed more grace.
"We were working through the specifics of the divorce and there was sadness, but we were still both showing up for the foundation. I think that held us together and allowed more grace during that period, and since then, it's kind of smoothed things over on the back end," she said..
Melinda has dedicated her life to giving back to people and she continues to do so as she promoted her brand-new MasterClass designed to teach others about the impact of generosity. This masterclass helped Melinda preach 'reflecting on your values and examining your beliefs so that you can develop a personalized framework for philanthropic giving.'
People argue that being some of the richest people in the world, it is easier for Melinda to give back than the average person. However, she believes even those who don't have a lot of money can use their "time, voice, and expertise to help others." By 2014, Bill and Melinda had donated around $28B of their personal wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The mom of three is now working on encouraging others to give back through her MasterClass. "I think it's really important to reflect on your values before you start giving because I think your values are what should drive pretty much everything you do in life," she said in a clip from the class, obtained and shared by GMA.
In 2010, Melinda pledged to give away ‘the majority of her resources in her lifetime' through an organization named Giving Pledge, founded by herself, her ex-husband Bill, and billionaire business magnate Warren Buffett. They released an open letter on the website of the organization in which she said, "I recognize the absurdity of so much wealth being concentrated in the hands of one person, and I believe the only responsible thing to do with a fortune this size is to give it away - as thoughtfully and impactfully as possible."