Who is Mila Antonova who ‘had affair’ with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates?
Who is Mila Antonova who ‘had affair’ with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates?
A Russian bridge player’s affair with Bill Gates has been brought to light by a bombshell new report which claims Jeffrey Epstein used his knowledge of the relationship to blackmail the Microsoft co-founder.
Disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Epstein, who committed suicide in jail amid suspicious circumstances in 2019, wanted Gates to invest in a multibillion-dollar charitable fund in 2013 but he would not oblige.
Epstein later sent Gates an email implying he was aware of his affair with bridge player Mila Antonova and that he could reveal his infidelity, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
• Gates, whose love of the card game has been widely publicised, allegedly engaged in an affair with Antonova after they played one another at a tournament in 2009.
• The tech mogul, who was married to Melina Gates but has since divorced, was 55 at the time of the alleged affair. Antonova meanwhile was in her 20s
This is what we know about Mila Antonova.
Who is Mila Antonova?
Mila Antonova is a Russian bridge player who has gained notoriety due to her alleged involvement in an extramarital affair with billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates.
Born and raised in Russia, Antonova is recognised as an accomplished bridge player, who studied in her native country before moving to the US where she founded a bridge club.
She credits the game of bridge with helping her develop fluency in the English language.
She ultimately failed to secure the funding required and instead turned to a career in software programming.
In 2013, Antonova attempted to raise funding for business venture BridgePlanet – an online school that would teach people how to play the game and record tutorials for players of all levels – and in doing so was put in contact with financier Epstein.
Epstein allegedly paid for her tuition fees and later sought to blackmail Gates into reimbursing him by leveraging his knowledge of their extramarital affair.
Gates’ representatives said the Microsoft billionaire never paid Epstein a cent.
Antonova’s LinkedIn profile has been removed from the website, but WSJ reported she has since worked as a software programmer for several companies in California.
‘Mr Gates never had any financial dealings with Epstein. As Bill has said before, it was a mistake to have ever met him,’ his spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
