Bill Gates Calls Melinda Gates’ Divorce ‘My Most Regretful Mistake’

Bill Gates looks back on his divorce from Melinda Gates after more than two decades together.

“That’s the mistake I regret the most,” said Bill, 69, to sight360 The Times of London from his previous marriage in a profile published on Saturday, January 25, adding that, despite his disappointment, he feels “more cheerful now.”

Bill and Melinda, 60, confirmed they were separating in May 2021 after 27 years of marriage. The pair, who tied the knot in 1994, share three children: Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe.

Speaking to The TimesBill noted that initially he “absolutely” wanted to emulate his parents’ 45-year union with Melinda.

“I encouraged Melinda to be a bit quieter than my mother was, but we were both quite driven,” she told the outlet. “I spent more time with the children than my father did, but the ratio was still 10:1, with Melinda doing most things for the children. We had a great time.”

The tech mogul added, “Spending your entire adult life with one person is great because of the memories and the depth of the things you’ve done and having kids together. When Melinda and I met, I was fairly successful but not ridiculously successful—that was during the time we were together. So, she saw me through a lot. “

Bill and Melinda met in 1987 when he started working for his Microsoft corporation. After tying the knot, the former couple co-founded an eponymous non-profit organization. Melinda left the organization after the couple’s divorce.

Related: Melinda Gates Resigns From Co-Foundation With Her Husband and Ex-Husband Bill Gates

Billionaire Melinda Gates, one of the richest people in the world, announced that she had resigned from her organization and her ex-husband, Bill Gates. “After careful thought and reflection, I have decided to step down from my role as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” Melinda, 59, wrote via a lengthy Instagram Statement on Monday, May (…)

“When we got divorced it was difficult and then she made the decision to leave the foundation – I was disappointed that she took the option to leave,” Bill recalled to The Times.

He further cites the divorce – which was settled in August 2021 – as one of his biggest adult failures.

“You’d have to put that at the top of the list,” Bill said of his list of faults. “There are others but nothing important. The divorce was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years.”

Since their separation, Bill and Melinda have been ever since put aside any personal matters they may have in order to peacefully co-parent their children who are now adults.

“Melinda and I still see each other – we have three children and two grandchildren so there are family events,” Bill told the UK newspaper. “The children are doing well. They have good values.”

Melinda has previously been outspoken about healing from the breakup.

“It’s unbelievably painful, in countless ways, but I had the privacy to go through it,” she said Fortune in October 2022. “I was also still working with the person I was moving away from, and I need to show up and be my best self every day. So even though I might be crying at 9am and then have to be on a video conference at 10am with the person I’m leaving, I have to show up and be my best . And I learned as a leader that I could do it.”