Melinda French Gates, the philanthropist and ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has broken her silence on the latest release of damning documents tied to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, saying the renewed scrutiny of her ex-husband's associations evokes "very, very painful" memories from their marriage.

In an interview with NPR's "Wild Card" podcast, French Gates addressed the Department of Justice's most recent disclosure of millions of pages of Epstein-related materials, including shocking draft emails from 2013 in which Epstein made lurid allegations about Gates. One draft accused the billionaire of contracting a sexually transmitted infection from encounters with "Russian girls" and seeking antibiotics that he could administer to his then-wife without her knowledge.

A spokesperson for Bill Gates dismissed the allegations as "absolutely absurd and completely false," attributing them to Epstein's frustration over the end of their relationship and efforts to defame the Microsoft co-founder.

French Gates, who shares three children with Gates and now leads her own initiative, Pivotal Ventures, spoke about the societal reckoning over Epstein's exploitation of young women and his connections to powerful figures.

"No girl, no girl should ever be put in the situation that they were put in by Epstein and whatever was going on with all of the various people around him," she told NPR. "It's beyond heartbreaking, right? I remember being those ages those girls were, I remember my daughters being those ages.”

French Gates went on to describe the details in the Epstein files as personally difficult, stirring recollections of "some very, very painful times in my marriage," though she claimed having moved on. "Whatever questions remain there—of what I don't, can't even begin to know all of it—those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband," French Gates added. "They need to answer to those things, not me."

"And I am so happy to be away from all the muck that was there," she concluded.

Gates has expressed remorse over his decision to associate with Epstein, beginning around 2011, years after Epstein's 2008 conviction, as a "huge mistake" pursued in hopes of securing philanthropic funding. The Microsoft founder has denied any involvement in Epstein's criminal activities.