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‘Eat, Pray, Love’ Author Elizabeth Gilbert Has ‘Ceremony of Love’ With Partner

Time to celebrate. Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert revealed on Tuesday, June 6, that she and her partner, Rayya Elias, had a “spontaneous ceremony of love surrounded by a small handful of friends and family.”

Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert attends the ‘Oprah’s The Life You Want Weekend’ on November 8, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. Mat Hayward/Getty Images

As previously reported, Gilbert, 47, ended her nearly 10-year marriage with her husband, José Nunes, last year to be with her best friend.

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“Over the last year, Rayya Elias and I have been through some really difficult days together — but not today. Today was precious and perfect. A simple and spontaneous ceremony of love, surrounded by a small handful of friends and family,” Gilbert captioned an Instagram pic of the couple in formal attire. “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.”

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Gilbert went on to write that “more difficult days are to come,” but their love is strong. Elias has been battling pancreatic and liver cancer.

Dear Ones: Over the last year, Rayya Elias and I have been through some really difficult days together — but not today. Today was precious and perfect. A simple and spontaneous ceremony of love, surrounded by a small handful of friends and family. 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. More difficult days are to come. It doesn’t get easier from here. Her 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. Create beauty with every day you are given, Onward, LG (And thank you, @bindleandkeep, for putting a rush on @rayyaelias’s suit, and for hand-delivering it yesterday. She looked beautiful. Thank you for the grace, the care, and the compassion. You are good people.)

A post shared by Elizabeth Gilbert (@elizabeth_gilbert_writer) on

“It doesn’t get easier from here. Her illness is grave,” Gilbert wrote. “We will walk together as far as we can go together. After that, it all gets turned over to God. Create beauty with every day you are given.”

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Gilbert opened up about her split and new relationship in a Facebook post in September 2016. She said that her divorce from Nunes was “very personal,” but amicable.

“Here is where we stand now: Rayya and I are together,” she wrote at the time. “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.”

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