Bill Gates reportedly told his golf buddies that his marriage to Melinda Gates was 'loveless'

• Bill Gates previously told golf buddies he had a "loveless" marriage, the New York Post reported.
• He and Melinda French Gates jointly announced their divorce early this month.
• A source told the Post he by then had told golf friends the couple "were living separate lives."

Before news of Bill Gates' divorce from his wife, Melinda French Gates, became public, he told his golf buddies about the couple's relationship problems and even described his marriage as loveless, according to a report by the New York Post.

"Bill did talk to his close friends on the golf course," a source told the Post. "He told them a while back that the marriage was loveless, that it had been over for some time and they were living separate lives."

Gates, an avid golfer, was at his $12.5 million mansion at The Vintage Club, an exclusive California golf club, when news of his divorce broke, a source told Page Six on Tuesday. He had been staying there for three months, the source said.

The Post's latest article joins a growing number of reports that suggest a rocky relationship between the philanthropist couple in recent years, contrasting with their public statements. French Gates told Insider in 2019 that her husband was "incredibly supportive" and had encouraged her to develop her career. She added that the couple still did the dishes together every night to keep the partnership equal.

Announcing their divorce on May 3, the couple said in a joint statement: "We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives."

Read more: How the ultrarich avoid messy public divorce battles by keeping their disputes out of court

French Gates said in the divorce filings that their 27-year marriage was "irretrievably broken." She added that the two were already separated.

Reports have suggested that French Gates sought divorce lawyers in 2019, about the same time as Gates' ties with Jeffrey Epstein surfaced.

The Daily Beast reported that she had warned her husband years earlier about Epstein, who was known to have been convicted of sex crimes before the two were said to have begun meeting for business. Gates' willingness to meet with Epstein made her "furious," the publication reported, citing sources close to the couple.

A report from The New York Times also suggested that French Gates' body language at events with Gates gave away her unhappiness years before their divorce announcement.

A source told People the couple wanted to wait until their youngest daughter turned 18 before they announced divorce, while the New York Post has reported that they may have timed the announcement to avoid clashing with Warren Buffett's annual shareholder meeting.