Billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates has said her ex-husband, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, being named in new files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein dredged up "painful times in my marriage".

Bill Gates has spoken out following claims made against him in the recent release of files relating to Jeffrey Epstein's case.

A spokesperson for Bill Gates has denied allegations that surfaced in the Jan. 30 batch of Epstein files released by the Justice Department, but did not address his ex-wife's remarks.