Melinda French Gates has responded to shocking allegations regarding her ex-husband, Bill Gates.
Last week, newly released Epstein files alleged that Gates had 'caught a sexually transmitted disease' after sleeping with 'Russian girls'.
In one document released by the US Justice Department, Epstein wrote a memo in which he alleged that the Microsoft co-founder had asked for antibiotics to 'surreptitiously give' to Melinda.
In an email dated 18 July, 2013, Epstein wrote: "To add insult to the injury you them [sic] implore me to please delete the emails regarding your std, your request that I provide you antibiotics that you can surreptitiously give to Melinda and the description of your penis."
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In a separate email, he added: "From helping Bill to get drugs, in order to deal with consequences of sex with russian girls, to facilitating his illicit trysts, with married women, to being asked to provide adderall fro [sic] bridge tournamnts [sic]."
A spokesperson for Gates has categorically denied the claims, telling LADbible Group in a statement: "These claims are absolutely absurd and completely false.
"The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein’s frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame."
French Gates has since told NPR’s Wild Card podcast: "It’s personally hard whenever those details come up, right? Because it brings back memories of some very, very painful times in my marriage.
"I have moved on from that. I purposely pushed it away and I moved on.
"Whatever questions remain there… are for those people and for my ex-husband, they need to answer to those things, not me.
"I am so happy to be away from all the muck that was there."
French Gates also spoke about Epstein's accusers, adding: "I’m able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, 'My God, how did that happen to those girls?'
"I had to leave my marriage. I wanted to leave my marriage. At least for me, I’ve been able to move on in life. And I hope there’s some justice for those now women."
The pair married in 1994 before divorcing in 2021.
Speaking with CBS Mornings in 2022, French Gates explained how she felt her relationship with her ex-husband deteriorated over time.
She said: "It wasn’t one moment or one specific thing that happened.
"There just came a point in time where there was enough there that I realised it wasn’t healthy and I couldn’t trust what we had."
Addressing the comments, Gates opened up to CBS News, noting that he 'will always be sorry for the pain that I caused Melinda and our family'.
He said: "I admire Melinda and everything she does to improve the lives of women and girls around the world, and I’m grateful for the work we continue to do together at our foundation."
Topics: Celebrity, Jeffrey Epstein, US News, Sex and Relationships
Lucy Devine