Elizabeth Gilbert: "Eat Pray Love" author has a new man at her side
US writer Elizabeth Gilbert (49, "Big Magic") is in love with her. This message was shared by the "Eat Pray Love" writer with her followers on Instagram. "May I introduce my dearest, Mister Simon MacArthur, to you, a British photographer - a handsome man who has been a friend of mine for years," says the 49-year-old. In January 2018, Gilbert announced the death of her life partner Rayya Elias (1960 - 2018).
She also explains in her post that MacArthur was also a close acquaintance of her deceased partner. "Even more touching is that Simon was a beloved friend of Rayya for decades, living together in London more than 30 years ago, and always loving each other like siblings, that means, as you can imagine, the world," says Gilbert. "Lately, Simon and I have found our way into the arms of each other."
That she was in love, she wanted to share with the public for several reasons. "Firstly, I wanted to say that if you see me walking arm in arm with a tall, handsome man, then do not make any drama, just make sure your girl is happy and follows her heart," the bestselling author explains.
"Love who you love"
She also wanted to encourage all people who would fall in love with middle-aged men and women alike, and show them that it was all normal. "It's okay, love, who you love, everything is okay and it's impossible to control everything, all this is an adventure that I do not want to miss, that's all I wanted to say."
Elizabeth Gilbert became internationally famous for her autobiographical book Eat Pray Love. In July 2016, her relationship with businessman Jose Nunes failed. As a reason Gilbert called her relationship with Rayya Elias a little later. Nunes had played an important role in "Eat, Pray, Love": He is the man with whom the narrator finds her great love at the end of the novel. He is also prominently represented in the book adaptation with Julia Roberts, embodied by Javier Bardem and under the name Felipe.
