Melinda French Gates is ready to talk about her divorce from Bill Gates.
In a CBS Mornings interview, the 57-year-old philanthropist said that their marriage "just wasn't healthy." She was also asked a very pointed question in the interview, which was whether or not Bill's affair with a staffer 20 years ago was what broke down trust in the marriage.
"I certainly believe in forgiveness, so I thought we had worked through some of that," Melinda said. "It wasn't one moment or one specific thing that happened."
It seems likely that it did contribute to the end of the marriage, even though the affair was 20 years earlier. Especially because Melinda said that she "couldn't trust" what the two had together. It seems like their divorce had been a long time coming.
The Microsoft cofounder's affair with a staffer was only publicly confirmed last May by a spokesperson. Subsequently, the couple's divorce was also announced in May. The two released a joint statement at the time, saying, "We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives."
The couple's divorce was finalized in August. Melinda says she's finally started to heal, though she's run into a range of emotions along the way. She told Gayle King that she cried "a lot of tears for many days."
She also spoke about her anger. "That's part of the grieving process," she said. "You're grieving a loss of something you thought you had and thought you had for your lifetime."
"I do feel like I'm turning a page in the chapter," she shared. "I mean, it's 2022 and I'm actually really excited about what's to come and life ahead for me."
The full interview airs on Thursday on CBS.
