"Bill Gates Divorce, Not My Fault" Chinese Interpreter Denies Affair Rumors

Shelly Wang, originally from China, performing interpretation duties at the Bill Gates Foundation.
[Photo by Weibo]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seo-young] Amid the attention on the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates, rumors have spread that a Chinese interpreter who worked at the foundation run by the couple is the cause of their divorce.

According to major foreign media on the 6th (local time), a female Chinese interpreter named Shelley Wang (36), who recently worked at the 'Bill & Melinda Gates' Foundation established and operated by Bill and Melinda, is being cited as the cause of the divorce. Wang is a professional interpreter who has also worked at institutions such as Yale University and Harvard Business School.

Wang dismissed these rumors as untrue through Weibo (the Chinese version of Twitter) the day before. She stated, "Since these are baseless rumors, I thought they would naturally disappear, but I did not expect them to spread further," adding, "I could read several books in the time spent on baseless rumors," and criticized, "Some malicious people’s rumors have blamed an innocent Chinese girl."

Former Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates

Additionally, the American entertainment media TMZ cited an anonymous source reporting that the couple tried to announce their divorce in March but halted the announcement because the divorce agreement was not fully completed. TMZ also reported that Melinda rented the entire Calivini Island in Granada, Spain, owned by a French billionaire, in preparation for the public attention expected at the time of the divorce announcement.

Earlier, after the divorce announcement, The New York Times described the Gates couple’s relationship as "a ticking time bomb waiting to explode." This implies that their relationship had long reached a point where reconciliation was impossible. The couple were partners in charitable and social contribution activities, but their relationship as a married couple was understood to be different. In the past, Melinda expressed her feelings in 2019, saying, "There were incredibly difficult times during the marriage. I wondered if I could continue the marriage."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.