The demise of his 27-year marriage to Melinda Gates couldn't have been easy for Bill Gates. A year and a half after their separation was complete, however, the 67-year-old seems to be in a new romantic relationship. According to PEOPLE, the billionaire is dating a long-time friend of his named Paula Hurd, though she hasn't yet met his three children.
Sources say the two "are inseparable." She's known as a "mystery woman," though their inner circle says their romance is "no mystery." They made headlines earlier this year while sitting next to each other at the Australian Open Men's Singles. Tennis is a game they both love, and they've previously been chatty at other matches.
Before getting together with Gates, Hurd was with Oracle CEO Mark Hurd. In 2019, the 60-year-old tragically lost her husband, leaving her a widow. Before, she also worked in the tech industry, though she's since moved on to become an event planner.
As for the philanthropist, this marks his first relationship since ending things with Melinda in August 2021. His 58-year-old ex was apparently seeing former reporter Jon Du Pre a few months ago. Ultimately, no confirmation came from the pair. At this time, the Gates matriarch seems determined on her path toward healing while continuing to parent her and Bill's three children.
"I had some reasons I just couldn’t," she said of her marriage's dissolution in an interview with Fortune last year. "But the odd thing about COVID is that it gave me the privacy to do what I needed to do. It’s unbelievably painful, in innumerable ways, but I had the privacy to get through it."
While Bill doesn't seem to be hiding his new relationship from the world, there's still much to be learned about Hurd. A report from PEOPLE reveals that she studied at the University of Texas and obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1984. Additionally, she has two daughters, Kathryn and Kelly, from her late husband.
Apart from their love of tennis and experience working in tech, Gates and his new girl are both avid philanthropists. Specifically, Paul has given large sums of money to Baylor University's Give Light Campaign. Read more about that here, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.
