Melinda Gates open to date again after divorcing Bill Gates: ‘I'm in a really good place’
Melinda French Gates has opened up about her dating life after divorcing Bill Gates in 2021. She is reportedly hoping to find love again as she has already met some potential future partners. The 57-year-old told ‘CBS Mornings’ Gayle King, “It's interesting at this point. You know, I'm dipping my toe in that water a little bit. I feel like, I'm in a really good place. And I'm really, really excited about my life and about the world—the work ahead.”
During the Thursday, March 3, interview, Melinda also revealed that she had “nightmares” after meeting her ex-husband’s disgraced friend Jeffrey Epstein in 2011. “I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. I made that clear to him. I also met Jeffrey Epstein exactly one time. I wanted to see who this man was and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door. He was abhorrent, evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterwards. That's why my heart breaks for these young women. That's how I felt, and I am an older woman. He was awful,” she said.
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Melinda Gates calls Epstein 'evil personified', still haunted by Bill's friendship with him
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The philanthropist also went on to disclose that one of the many reasons behind her divorce with Bill was him meeting Epstein. She explained: “It was not one thing, it was many things [that led to the divorce]. Any of the questions remaining about what Bill's relationship with him was... those are for Bill to answer. I made it very clear how I felt about him.”
When King questioned Melinda about Bill’s reported multiple affairs, she replied: “Those are questions Bill needs to answer." She also commented on trust and forgiveness in a marriage: "I certainly believe in forgiveness 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."
Earlier, Bill had confessed that he made a “mistake” by meeting Epstein several times. He had told CBS, “Meeting with Epstein was a mistake that I regret deeply. It was a substantial error in judgment.”
The once powerful pair shockingly announced in May 2021 that they were going their separate ways after nearly three decades of togetherness. They got divorced in August of the same year. During the interview, Melinda said that despite the tough times she faced last year, she continued to work with Bill. She noted: “First of all we both want to work together – we founded this institution in 2000 – both of us. It has both of our names on the building. I believe in that institution, my values are baked into that institution. So I have always felt like it calls us to be our higher selves. Even during the difficult times in the last 18 months while we were going through this process behind the scenes, we were able to show up and work effectively together. I'm not saying it was easy but I'm saying for me I had days where I had tears the hour before an online meeting or I'd be angry but I still rose to be my higher self and I think we can continue to do that.”
Melinda added: “We certainly have a working relationship. We are friendly at this point. Friends is a different word for me. That might come over time but for me there is still healing that needs to happen. I wish him well. I certainly don't wish him any harm. We have a productive working relationship and I think that will continue.”