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| Bill and Melinda Gates divorce after 27 years of marriage | Bill and Melinda Gates divorce after 27 years of marriage |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The couple - pictured here in 2018 - have given billions to charity | The couple - pictured here in 2018 - have given billions to charity |
| Bill and Melinda Gates have announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage, saying "we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple". | Bill and Melinda Gates have announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage, saying "we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple". |
| "After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the pair wrote on Twitter. | "After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage," the pair wrote on Twitter. |
| They first met in the 1980s when Melinda joined Bill's Microsoft firm. | They first met in the 1980s when Melinda joined Bill's Microsoft firm. |
| They have three children and jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. | They have three children and jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. |
| The organisation has spent billions fighting causes such as infectious diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children. | The organisation has spent billions fighting causes such as infectious diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children. |
| Bill and Melinda Gates: A life in pictures | |
| Solving Covid easy compared with climate - Gates | Solving Covid easy compared with climate - Gates |
| The Gates - along with investor Warren Buffett - are behind the Giving Pledge, which calls on billionaires to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to good causes. | The Gates - along with investor Warren Buffett - are behind the Giving Pledge, which calls on billionaires to commit to giving away the majority of their wealth to good causes. |
| Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes, and is worth $124bn (£89bn). | Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes, and is worth $124bn (£89bn). |
| He made his money through the firm he co-founded in the 1970s, Microsoft, the world's biggest software company. | He made his money through the firm he co-founded in the 1970s, Microsoft, the world's biggest software company. |
| The pair both posted the statement announcing their divorce on Twitter. | The pair both posted the statement announcing their divorce on Twitter. |
| "Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives," it read. | "Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives," it read. |
| Bill Gates has focused on environmental campaigns since stepping back from Microsoft | Bill Gates has focused on environmental campaigns since stepping back from Microsoft |
| "We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives. | "We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives. |
| "We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life." | "We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life." |
| How did they get together? | How did they get together? |
| Melinda joined Microsoft as a product manager in 1987, and the two sat together at a business dinner that year in New York. | Melinda joined Microsoft as a product manager in 1987, and the two sat together at a business dinner that year in New York. |
| They began dating, but as Bill told a Netflix documentary: "We cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married." | They began dating, but as Bill told a Netflix documentary: "We cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married." |
| Melinda said she found Bill - methodical it seems even in matters of the heart - writing a list on a whiteboard with the "pros and the cons of getting married". | Melinda said she found Bill - methodical it seems even in matters of the heart - writing a list on a whiteboard with the "pros and the cons of getting married". |
| They got married in 1994 on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, reportedly hiring up all the local helicopters to stop unwanted guests flying over. | They got married in 1994 on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, reportedly hiring up all the local helicopters to stop unwanted guests flying over. |
| Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft's board last year to focus on his philanthropic activities. | Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft's board last year to focus on his philanthropic activities. |