Taylor Swift, chocolate, ‘Sex Education’, among Melinda French’s favourites for 2021

Although the Covid-19 pandemic dampened the spirits in 2021, the year witnessed some of the best from cinema, literature, art and music. It has been an incredibly eventful and tough year for Melinda French too and it looks like she found comfort in books, movies, chocolate, and songs by Taylor Swift. French, the fifth most powerful woman of 2021, posted a video of her favourites for the year 2021 on Twitter.

The founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation goes on to list her favourite movies, music, TV shows, and hobbies that she picked up during the year.



When asked what new hobbies or skills she learned during the year, Melinda earnestly responded that she learned how to be more patient. Popular shows such as ‘Sex Education’, ‘Lupin’, and the movie ‘Crazy Stupid Love’ were among her top picks in 2021.

Melinda said that seeing her daughter Jennifer Gates and son-in-law Nayel Nasser’s love for one another gave her hope in 2021. When asked about her favourite music, the billionaire entrepreneur was quick to mention Taylor Swift. The 57-year-old also said that chocolate has been her guilty pleasure for the year.

‘The Vanishing Half’ by Brit Bennet, a book that tells the story of twin girls growing up in a turbulent southern state of Louisiana, is Melinda’s favourite read of the year.

“I am most proud of the paid family medical leave advocates and what that community has built and how they have gotten that topic onto the national agenda,” she said in the one-minute clip adding that she is looking forward to continuing with the work she loves in the coming year.

Melinda and Bill Gates separated after 27 years in August this year. Recently, in a year-ender, the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said that 2021 has been "the most unusual and difficult year" of his life. His split from Melinda French Gates after being married for 27 years, the loneliness of the pandemic, and his transition into an ‘empty-nester’ dad have all affected him, Gates wrote on GatesNotes blog.

Earlier this month, Bill Gates continued with his annual tradition of listing his favourite books of the year. He listed five of his favourite books in a note on LinkedIn. “As I got older, I started reading a lot more non-fiction. I was still interested in books that explored the implications of innovation, but it felt more important to learn something about our real-world along the way. Lately, though, I’ve found myself drawn back to the kinds of books I would’ve loved as a kid,” he wrote.