Writer Elizabeth Gilbert has come along a way since journeying the globe in search of, well, everything – and documenting her experiences in the 2006 bestseller Eat Pray Love.
Now 10 years on, the 43-year-old has decided to leave her husband, Jose Nunes – who she met on her Eat Pray Love travels – for her best friend, Rayya Elias.
A platonic relationship in the past, Gilbert says that it was Elias’ recent terminal cancer diagnosis that made her realise that her feelings for Elias had grown into something more.
“I was faced with this truth: I do not merely love Rayya; I am in love with Rayya. And I have no more time for denying that truth,” she posted on Facebook on Wednesday.
She then addressed the convenient timing of her split from Nunes: “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.”
Gilbert then took to Instagram an hour later to thank the public for the support the pair received following the initial post.
“Thank you for the love today, everyone,” she wrote.
“Rayya and I are sitting here in tears and wonder and gratitude for the outpouring of grace from my post this morning on Facebook.”
We’re wishing all the best for the happy couple.
