Bill Gates and Melinda Gates are officially divorced. After 27 years of marriage, their personal relationship is over, but does that mean that their professional relationship is over too?

For the first time since announcing they were splitting up, Bill Gates has broken his silence about the divorce. He spoke to CNN’s Anderson Cooper and answered questions about his divorce and what it means for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Cooper started by asked Gates how he was doing personally now that the divorce is finalized. Gates answered, “It’s definitely a very sad milestone. Melinda’s a great person, and that partnership that we had coming to an end is a source of great personal sadness.”

Gates hopes that he and his ex-wife are able to successfully continue to work together at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He explained, “Melinda has incredible strengths that she brings that help the foundation to be better. We always enjoyed our work together. The two of us can go out and work with leaders and help build the organization. That would be definitely the best thing for the foundation.”

Anderson went on to ask Gates about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Gates called the relationship “a huge mistake.”

Watch the video below for more about what Gates had to say about his divorce and his relationship with Epstein.

Do you think Bill and Melinda Gates will be able to continue to work together successfully despite their divorce? Do you believe Gates when he says he wants to continue to work with his ex-wife and when he talks about focusing on his work? Would you ever be able to work with an ex successfully? Does it surprise you that he downplayed his relationship with Epstein?