Nadine O’Regan: The Gates announce divorce and we’re utterly gobsmacked

They’re not like other fabulously wealthy couples: Billy is nerdy, Melinda is prim and they both more or less run the world together while aglow in their reputation for philanthropy. So we found ourselves scrabbling to figure out why they say they can no longer ‘grow together as a couple’

Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, and his wife Melinda, who have a combined fortune of €124 billion, announced on Twitter that they are to divorce after 27 years

“Can you believe it? Bill and Melinda Gates are getting a divorce.”

“Seriously?” S said.

“Yep,” I confirmed, scrolling through my news feed, surprising myself by the sudden pang I felt. There are plenty of couples who don’t surprise anyone when they announce that they have broken up.

But Bill and Melinda Gates? This felt like hearing that Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson had called it quits, or that Barack and Michelle Obama had thrown ...