
And I have no more time for denying that truth. 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. In short, she is my PERSON.something happened to my heart and mind in the days and weeks following Rayya's diagnosis. She's my role model, my traveling companion, my most reliable source of light, my fortitude, my most trusted confidante. About Elias, Gilbert wrote: "She's my best friend, yes, but it's always been bigger than that. Then, in September 2016, Gilbert further revealed (in a Facebook post) that the reason for that marriage's breakup was that she had fallen in love with her best friend of 15 years, Rayya Elias -something Gilbert only realized after Elias was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic and liver cancers.

In July 2016, Elizabeth Gilbert announced the end of her marriage to José Nunes (the man called "Felipe" in her book "Eat, Pray, Love" and its movie adaptation).
