Bill Gates' Chinese interpreter denies role in divorce with Melinda, says she's 'innocent'

Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, who announced that they are ending their marriage, have been subject to a lot of rumours and speculations lately. While the couple said on May 4 that they took the decision after "a lot of thought", people have been trying to guess the reason that led to the separation after 27 years of togetherness. Recently, a report claimed that the Microsoft Co-founder's Chinese interpreter had a role to play in it. 

Bill Gates' interpreter Zhe Shelly Wang is the latest name to be thrown up in the high-profile divorce with reports claiming that she shared a very close relationship with Bill. As the rumours continue to spread on the internet, Wang released a statement denying any involvement in the divorce. 

“I thought that the rumors would go away by themselves, but I did not expect the rumors to become more and more crazily spread,” Wang wrote on Chinese microblogging website Weibo, as per Page Six. “

She continued, “How many books can I read, so why spend time on the unfounded rumors? I would like to thank everyone for their concern and help in dispelling the rumors through private messages in the past 24 hours.” She ended her message with a link to a story titled “#Gates divorce, some vicious people rumor to vilify an innocent Chinese girl.”

Bill and Melinda Gates divorce

While the couple did not give a specific reason for their divorce, they said “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. 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.”

They continued, “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 this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”

Bill and Melinda tied the knot in 1994 in Hawaii and they met after she began working at Microsoft as a product manager in 1987. Soon after the divorce was announced, a report revealed that the couple had an ‘arrangement’ that allowed Microsoft co-founder to meet with ex-girlfriend Ann Winblad.  According to Time, Bill and Anna developed a ‘strong bond’ and the billionaire ensured that he keeps her in life after they split in 1987.

Bill and Melinda Gates' divorce talks started in 2019

Bill and Melinda Gates announced their divorce on May 4 but reports claim that it was in the works for several years. While there were rumours that Bill Gates' ex-girlfriend Anne had a role to play in the separation, a report has now claimed that Melinda had been consulting divorce lawyers since 2019 over Epstein. Melinda consulted with divorce lawyers roughly two years before she filed for divorce, saying their marriage was “irretrievably broken,” according to The Wall Street Journal. According to people and documents reviewed by the publication, Melinda had been working with lawyers at several firms since at least 2019 to unwind the marriage.