Bill and Melinda Gates call it quits after 27 years of marriage

Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda are getting a divorce after 27 years of marriage.

The couple, founders and trustees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, met in the 1980s and were married in 1994. They have three children together.

“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” they announced in a joint statement on Twitter.

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“Over the last 27 years, we have raised  three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world  to enable people to lead  healthy productive 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 this next phase of our lives.”

According to Forbes, Bill Gates is one of the richest people in the world, with a net worth estimated at $124 billion (R1.78 trillion).

This is a developing story.