Bill Gates has admitted he was “foolish” to spend time with Jeffrey Epstein as he addresses huge allegations made in the latest file release. Allegations that the billionaire hid a sexually transmitted disease from his wife after contact with “Russian girls” surfaced in the bombshell file release.

The allegation appeared in a draft 2013 email that appears to have been written by Epstein and addressed to Gates. In the message, Epstein also allegedly claimed that he had been asked to arrange antibiotics for Gates to secretly provide to his then wife. The tech mogul’s office immediately issued a statement denouncing the “absolutely absurd and completely false” assertion, but until now Gates, 70, has remained tight lipped.

Speaking out about his inclusion in the millions of files Gates has now broken his silence.

“Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologise that I did that,” Mr Gates told Australia’s 9News, adding that he was “foolish to spend time with him” and is “one of many people who regret ever knowing him”.

Mr Gates added: “The more that comes out, the more clear it will be that, although the time was a mistake, it has nothing to do with that kind of behaviour,” Mr Gates added.

“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent. The email is false.”

The billionaire continued: “I was only at dinners… I never went to the island, I never met any women, and so, you know, the more that comes out, the more clear it’ll be, that although the time was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that kind of behavior.”

His interview followed comments made by his ex-wife of 27 years to NPR on Tuesday and recalled some “very, very painful times” in her marriage to the Microsoft founder.

Melinda Gates said: “But I have moved on from that. I purposely pushed it away and I moved on.

“I’m in a really unexpected, beautiful place in my life, so whatever questions remain there of what… I can’t even begin to know all of it. Those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me.”

Asked about her emotions at learning of the claims against her ex-husband, particularly that he tried to secretly procure her antibiotics, she said she felt “just unbelievable sadness”.

She added that her ex-husband’s affairs and friendship with Epstein were key factors in their eventual separation.

The couple, who share three children, announced their divorce in May 2021.