Bill Gates has opened up about his divorce from Melinda, saying he is still 'grieving' over the breakup of the 27-year marriage.
The Microsoft founder, 65, revealed the pair did not have a prenuptial agreement but amicably split their huge wealth, although she kept the family dog.
The billionaire also refused to confirm if he ever cheated on his ex-wife, despite suggestions he had multiple affairs with Melinda saying in March he had 'questions to answer'.
When asked if the couple are still friends, Bill told The Sunday Times: 'I would say that. In an interview she chose not to use that word, but I'll use it. We have a, you know, superimportant, complex, close relationship where we've chosen to work together. And I'm very happy that we get to work together.
'I'm also grieving the same way she is. Yes. You know, we grew up together. When I got married, yeah, Microsoft was a big deal. But I was a young 38-year-old and she was a mature 28-year old [when they married], and over those next few years, in terms of what we learnt together, what went well, what didn't go well… I mean, that's more than half my adult life.'
Bill Gates has opened up about his divorce from Melinda, saying he is still 'grieving' over the breakup of the 27-year marriage.
The Microsoft founder, 65, revealed the pair did not have a prenuptial agreement but amicably split their huge wealth, although she kept the family dog.
The billionaire also refused to confirm if he ever cheated on his ex-wife, despite suggestions he had multiple affairs with Melinda saying in March he had 'questions to answer'.
When asked if the couple are still friends, Bill told The Sunday Times: 'I would say that. In an interview she chose not to use that word, but I'll use it. We have a, you know, superimportant, complex, close relationship where we've chosen to work together. And I'm very happy that we get to work together.
'I'm also grieving the same way she is. Yes. You know, we grew up together. When I got married, yeah, Microsoft was a big deal. But I was a young 38-year-old and she was a mature 28-year old [when they married], and over those next few years, in terms of what we learnt together, what went well, what didn't go well… I mean, that's more than half my adult life.'
'I believe in forgiveness. I thought we had worked through some of that,' Melinda said of his 2000 affair with a Microsoft employee. I gave every single piece of myself to this marriage. I was committed from the day we got engaged to the day I got out of it.'
Gates' spokeswoman confirmed he had a sexual relationship with a female staff member in 2000 and that he resigned as an investigation into the relationship was being conducted by an external law firm on behalf of the company board.
The New York Times also reported that Gates asked out a Microsoft employee in 2006 after watching her make a presentation and, couple of years later, asked out an employee with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - both while he was married.