In a recent interview on NPR’s Wild Card podcast, Melinda French Gates said the newly released Epstein files bring back “very, very painful times” from her marriage to Bill Gates, filling her with what she described as “unbelievable sadness.”

She said it’s “personally hard whenever those details come up … because it brings back memories” of struggles in their relationship.

Melinda emphasized she has “moved on in life” and is in a “beautiful place,” but the resurfacing of old details was difficult for her to hear.

She also said she’s “so happy to be away from all that muck” that the controversy stirred up for her.

Melinda made clear that any unanswered questions about the Epstein files—including those involving Bill Gates—are for those individuals to answer, not her.

While speaking about her own sadness, she also expressed empathy toward Epstein’s victims, saying that their experiences are “beyond heartbreaking” and hoping there will be justice for women affected.

The recent document release includes draft communications from Jeffrey Epstein’s files, some of which reference Bill Gates.

Gates has publicly denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has referred to his interactions with him as a mistake, saying some of the claims are “absolutely absurd and completely false.”