Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the best-selling book Eat Pray Love, announced her split from husband Jose Nunes, whom she famously met at the end of the beloved memoir back in July.
The best-selling author took to Facebook to share with her fans, that she is in a relationship with her best friend, fellow writer, Rayya Elias, who has recently been diagnosed with incurable pancreatic and liver cancer.
“Something happened to my heart and mind in the days and weeks following Rayya’s diagnosis,” wrote the 47-year-old. “Death — or the prospect of death — has a way of clearing away everything that is not real, and in that space of stark and utter realness, I was faced with this truth: I do not merely love Rayya; I am in love with Rayya.”
“For those of you who are doing the math here, and who are wondering if this situation is why my marriage came to an end this spring, the simple answer is yes. (Please understand that I cannot say anything more about it than that. I trust you are all sensitive enough to understand how difficult this has been. As David Foster Wallace once wrote: “The truth will set you free — but not until it’s had its way with you.” Yes, it has been hard. Yes, the truth has had its way with us. And yes, the truth still stands.)
“So. Here is where we stand now: Rayya and I are together. I love her, and she loves me. I’m walking through this cancer journey with her, not only as her friend, but as her partner. I am exactly where I need to be — the only place I can be.
The author also used Facebook to announce her split from Nunes in July, citing the “very personal” reasons.
“I am separating from the man whom many of you know as ‘Felipe’ — the man whom I fell in love with at the end of the EAT PRAY LOVE journey. He has been my dear companion for over 12 years, and they have been wonderful years. Our split is very amicable. Our reasons are very personal.”
Gilbert and Nunes were together for 12 years, meeting during her travels which she wrote about in the 2006 memoir, which went on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide and was turned into a blockbuster movie starring Julia Roberts in 2010.
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