Melinda French Gates has talked about her reasons for divorcing Bill Gates. Photo / AP
Melinda French Gates has talked about her reasons for divorcing Bill Gates. Photo / AP
Bill Gates continued to meet with Jeffrey Epstein despite warnings that the financier was "evil and abhorrent", Melinda French Gates has revealed, in her first interview since their divorce.
French Gates said that Gates' relationship with the convicted paedophile was one of the contributing factors in their divorce, adding that she met Epstein once and had nightmares afterwards.
Speaking on CBS Mornings, French Gates said she met with Epstein because she "wanted to see who this man was."
Her then-husband struck up a relationship with Epstein after the financier was convicted of sex crimes, and the pair met numerous times, including at Epstein's New York townhouse.
"I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door," she said.
"He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. I had nightmares about it afterwards."
It is not known when the meeting took place, or what behaviour sparked these emotions, but French Gates added: "My heart breaks for these young women because that's how I felt. And here I'm an older woman. Oh my God, I feel terrible for those young women. It's awful."
She said that she made it clear to Bill that she was uncomfortable with their relationship.
"I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. I made it very clear how I felt about him," she said.
Asked whether he listened to her concerns, French Gates said: "Any of the questions remaining about what Bill's relationship there was - those are for Bill to answer. But I made it very clear how I felt about him."
Melinda French Gates has talked about her reasons for divorcing Bill Gates. Photo / AP
Bill Gates told CNN last summer: "I had several dinners with him, hoping that what he said about getting billions of philanthropy for global health through contacts that he had might emerge. When it looked like that wasn't a real thing, that relationship ended.
"It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility. I made a mistake."
The couple's £105 ($206b) billion divorce was announced in May last year, after 27 years of marriage.
It emerged shortly afterwards that Microsoft was investigating a complaint alleging that Gates had "sought to initiate an intimate relationship" with a female employee in 2000.
The investigation ended after Gates left the board, but Microsoft said the two were not linked.
Gates' spokeswoman said at the time: "There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. Bill's decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy, starting several years earlier."
Gates, 66 and Melinda, 57, said their marriage was "irretrievably broken" in court documents. They revealed that French Gates did not wish to change her name, nor did she see the need to seek spousal support.
In a wide-ranging interview, French Gates also sidestepped a question on whether Gates had multiple affairs, saying: "I think those are questions Bill needs to answer."
Gates has not responded to claims of multiple affairs.
Describing their current relationship, she said: "We certainly have a working relationship. I would say we have a friendly relationship at this point.
"Friends is a different word for me and that might come over time. But for me, there's still healing that needs to happen. Certainly I wish him well. I don't wish him harm. I think we have a productive working relationship and I think that will continue."
French Gates finished by saying she was open to finding love again, despite never thinking on her wedding day that she would one day be divorced.
"I hope that happens for me again. I'm dipping my toe in that water a little bit."
