Melinda Gates realised her marriage to Bill Gates was in jeopardy in 2019 after revelations about her then-husband's association with Jeffrey Epstein

At the time, scrutiny was mounting over Bill's reported ties to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and federal conspiracy charges. The couple divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage.

She says in her autobiography: "That October, things had reached a fever pitch when The New York Times published a deeply disturbing article that raised serious questions about Bill's conduct - questions that suggested he had betrayed not only our marriage but also my values."

According to The New York Times, Bill, 69, met Epstein on "numerous occasions", including one visit that reportedly lasted for hours.

In an email to colleagues in 2011 after their first meeting, Bill wrote: "His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me."

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal earlier this year, Bill acknowledged his regret over associating with Epstein, saying: "In retrospect, I was foolish to spend any time with him. I think I was quite stupid. I thought it would help me with global health philanthropy. In fact, it failed to do that. It was just a huge mistake."

According to The Wall Street Journal, Epstein allegedly used knowledge of an affair between Bill and Russian bridge player Mila Antonova to pressure him into joining a multibillion-dollar charitable fund with JPMorgan Chase in 2017.

Melinda previously addressed her concerns about Bill's relationship with Epstein in a 2022 interview, saying: "I did not like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, no. I made that clear to him."

She added that she met Epstein only once, saying: "I wanted to see who he was. I regretted it the second I walked in the door. He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. My heart breaks for these women."

In 'The Next Day', Melinda also writes ending her marriage was one of the most difficult decisions of her life.

She says in the book: "Leaving my marriage was one of the hardest and most important things I've ever done."

Melinda and Bill have three adult children - Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22 - and she is now in a relationship with entrepreneur Philip Vaughn, while Bill is dating Paula Hurd.