Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert and Rayya Elias celebrated their relationship on Tuesday with “a simple and spontaneous ceremony of love”.
The 47-year-old writer, adored by legions of fans the world over, shared the news on social media with a beautiful photo, and a touching post which announced she and Elias had held ceremony surrounded by a handful of friends and loved ones.
“Over the past year, Rayya Elias and I have been through some really difficult days together – but not today. Today was precious and perfect,” Gilbert wrote.
“Our ceremony was nothing legally binding (no need to alert the authorities, folks!)… just a quiet and private celebration of what we have long known to be true: We belong to each other.”
The ceremony comes at a significant time for the couple as Elias – who is also a writer, and Gilbert’s best friend for the past 15 years – continues to battle pancreatic and liver cancer.
“More difficult days are to come,” Gilbert penned touchingly. “It doesn’t get easier from here. Rayya’s illness is grave. But our love is strong. We will walk together as far as we can go together. After that, it all gets turned over to God.”
Last September Gilbert revealed on Facebook that she had ended her nine-year marriage to José Nunes – the man behind her semi-autobiographical hit, Eat, Pray, Love.
She wrote the intensity of her feelings for Elias had contributed to the ending of her relationship, before going on to declare her and Elias were in love.
“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 face with this truth: I do not merely love Rayya; I am in love with Rayya.”
