Bill Gates recently got candid about his divorce from his wife, Melinda Gatescalling it the mistake he regrets the most.

The couple, who were married for more than 27 years, separated in 2021 in a billion-dollar divorce.

Since their split, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates have remained friendly and moved on with new partners.

In an interview The Sunday TimesBill reflected on his 27-year marriage to Melinda Gates and their divorce, calling it “the mistake I regret most of my life.”

While the 69-year-old Microsoft co-founder acknowledged he has faced other setbacks, he stressed that none compare to the pain of the split.

“There are other mistakes, but this is first and foremost,” he said, describing the divorce as a “miserable” experience for him and Melinda, lasting “at least two years.”

Despite the challenges, the former couple managed to maintain a cordial relationship. The two have since moved on and are dating other people.

“Melinda and I still see each other – we have three children and two grandchildren, so there are family events,” Bill noted, referring to family events with their three children and two grandchildren. “The children are doing well. They have good values.”

Reflecting on their marriage, Bill credited it with keeping him “grounded” during the creation and growth of his billion-dollar company.

Bill and Melinda tied the knot in 1994 and share three children: Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22. The couple announced their divorce in May 2021 but had been living separately for a year before going public with the news.

In a 2022 interview with USA todayMelinda, now 60, revealed it was a “sad day” for her when she realized she was done with her marriage to the billionaire.

While she described the decision to split as the “healthier choice” for both of them, Melinda also called it the “lowest moment” of her life.

“It wasn’t something I thought would ever happen to me,” she said. “It definitely wasn’t what I thought the day I got married, but I realized for myself, I needed to make a healthier choice, and it was just a very , very sad.”

Bill, for his part, took responsibility for his role in his separation from Melinda after 27 years of marriage.

In a 2022 Maintenance He and Savannah Guthrie admitted to “causing pain” after his wife confronted him over reports of an affair with a Microsoft employee.

“I certainly made mistakes and I take responsibility,” he said at the time.

Gates added: “I don’t think delving into the details at this point is constructive, but yes, I caused pain, and I feel terrible about it.”

In a 2022 interview with Gayle King, Melinda also highlighted Bill’s association with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein as a contributing factor to the breakdown of their marriage.

According to Page sixshe said: “I didn’t like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. No. I made that clear to him.” Melinda added: “He was obnoxious. He was evil personified.”

Bill has since described his professional ties to Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, as a “mistake.”

After their separation, Bill and Melinda moved on in their personal lives. In October 2024, Melinda went public with her relationship with entrepreneur Philip Vaughn.

The two were spotted holding hands while heading to dinner at Le Bernardin in New York. Bill, meanwhile, has been in a relationship with Paula Hurd, the widow of Oracle CEO Mark Hurd, since 2023.

Bill recently shared details about a rare private dinner with President Donald Trump, describing the nearly three-hour meeting as “intriguing” and leaving him “in awe.”

Despite supporting Trump’s opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election, Gates seemed optimistic after their conversation.

“I had a chance, about two weeks ago, to go and have a long and actually quite intriguing dinner with him,” Bill told The Wall Street Journal.

During the wide-ranging discussion, he said they had a strong focus on public health, a central area of ​​his philanthropic efforts.

“I felt like it was energized and I look forward to helping drive innovation,” Bill noted. “I was frankly impressed with how he showed a lot of interest in the issues I raised.”