Source: CBS Mornings
On March 4, Beijing time, in a meeting with Microsoft founder Bill Gates Gates) 7 months after her divorce, Melinda Gates French· Gates) was broadcast in a television interview for its first time with CBS. In this more than 9-minute interview, Melinda revealed the reason for her divorce from Bill Gates and the series of events she went through since the divorce.
When it comes to marriage, Melinda says she never thought she would one day get divorced because, in her opinion, from engagement to breakup, she dedicated everything to the marriage. And when she couldn't save the marriage after hard work, Melinda finally decided to let go, "I can't trust us anymore." ”
For the new relationship with Bill Gates, Melinda prefers to define the two as work partners rather than friends, because for Melinda now, it is not acceptable to be friends with Bill Gates.
In the interview, Melinda said that she is still looking forward to a new love and is putting it into practice.
Turning a new page in her life, Melinda, in addition to focusing on philanthropy, such as funding public welfare projects that empower women, is also calling on the world's richest people to donate most of their assets. In her view, giving up half of their wealth will not change their original lives, but they can bring more good changes to the lives of others, "this is the social environment we aspire to create." ”
Here's a conversation between Melinda and CBS host Gayle King (compiled by alphabet editors).
Last May, melinda Gates and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates shocked the world by announcing the end of their 27-year marriage. Over the years, they were like a perfect couple, and after breaking up, they still maintained a working relationship and co-operated their foundation, which currently manages about $50 billion in endowment funds. This is the first time since the news of the divorce that Melinda Gates sat down with us for an in-depth interview about her self-healing process and later life.
Gayle King: Even if both parties agree, divorce is a painful process, and I don't think most of the divorce news will appear on the evening news, after all, it's not a good topic to discuss. So when bill and you made a divorce statement, did you ever think that this would be the focus of the whole country?
Melinda: I would say that from the day I got married, I never thought I would get a divorce, but alas, we divorced. I know people will be surprised when we announce this, but it's something I couldn't have predicted.
Gayle King: After the news of the divorce broke, it was revealed that Bill Gates admitted that he had an extramarital affair in his marriage. At that time, do you think you can solve this problem between you? How do you deal with things like this?
Melinda: Of course I want to forgive, I thought we had solved some problems at one point. It's not something that happened at some point, it's been going on for a long time, it's just that at some point I realized that the relationship was unhealthy and I couldn't trust anything about us anymore.
Gayle King: There's a report that a lot of things are going on in this. Would you like to talk?
Melinda: I think these are the questions Bill needs to answer.
GAYLE KING: Okay. There have also been many reports of a friendship, business, or connection between Bill and Jeffrey Epstein, and has this factor had any effect on your divorce?
Melinda: Yeah, I don't like him meeting Epstein.
GAYLE KING: Did you tell him you didn't like it?
Melinda: I told him. And, I happened to meet Epstein once because I wanted to see who this guy was, but I regretted it from the moment I stepped in the door. He was disgusting and I had nightmares after meeting him. So you know, as an older woman, I'm heartbroken for these young women, and it's horrible for young women.
Gayle King: You shared your feelings with Bill and he still continues to be with him?
Melinda: I made my feelings about him very clearly.
Gayle King: A lot of times, when women divorce, they feel ashamed or feel like they've done something wrong, especially when it's so public that a lot of women wonder what they're doing wrong? Have you ever had a moment like this?
Melinda: I don't doubt myself at all right now, because from the engagement to the breakup, I gave everything I had to this marriage. I also know that society often throws the problems of divorce to women as if it were all our fault, but it's not the case, so I can hold my head high and say: I didn't do anything wrong.
GAYLE KING: Have you ever been particularly angry, or particularly miserable?
Melinda: For many days, I washed my face with tears, and I lay on the carpet and thought, how is this possible? What am I going to do? What should I do next? I was of course angry too, it was a really painful process, and I was sad to lose something important. Later, I began to try to heal myself and come out of these things. Now I feel that I am turning a new page in my life, it is 2022, and I am looking forward to the new life in the future.
GAYLE KING: How would you describe your relationship with Bill Gates now?
Melinda: We must have a working relationship, right? Then I would say we were quite friendly at this point.
Gayle King: Count as friends?
Melinda: Friends is a different word for me, you know, we may become friends over time, but for me now, I can't accept being friends. Of course, I want him to be well and I don't want him to get hurt. I think our working relationship is very efficient and good, and it should continue to be maintained in the future.
Gayle King: You said it's ridiculous that you recognize that so much wealth is concentrated in the hands of one person, and you believe that the only responsible thing to do with wealth is to give it away, are you challenging other billionaires?
Melinda: Believe me, if you're lucky enough to be a billionaire, giving up half your fortune won't change your life. Whatever the reason, you have wealth, then you put these back into society, but also to bring some good changes to the lives of others, this is the social environment we aspire to create.
GAYLE KING: You want to do more than just pay, or are you saying that just paying isn't enough?
Melinda: Yeah, there are a lot of ways to do charity, and it's great to pay for it. But it may not be for me, I need to see it and feel it, just as I don't want to wait for summer to come, I may be able to go directly to a few African countries, as long as I don't have to catch up with the new crown and cause damage to other places. I want to go out and talk to people, I want to see the real world, and we have to listen to people and not take it for granted, oh my God, well, they always have a way to solve their own problems.
Gayle King: Melinda, in order to get on with life, you have to get through it, and you seem to have either survived it or you haven't, which of these two states are you?
Melinda: I think there are both. I feel like I've probably had the toughest time, but that's not to say that I haven't had a hard time in the last two weeks. I can only show the best in my side as much as I can.
Gayle King: Would you like to keep starting a new love? Or are you open to this?
Melinda: Absolutely (laughs). I wish I could meet love again, you know, I'm trying right now, why not?
Gayle King: Melinda, compared to the stage when you first started crying on the ground, I think you're in a very good state now.
Melinda: Thank you, yes, I feel very good right now and I'm very much looking forward to my new life that I'm about to start.