Elizabeth Gilbert, the bestselling author of 'Eat, Pray, Love', has opened up about the tumultuous final months with her partner Rayya Elias, who died of cancer in 2018. In a new memoir, Gilbert details how she left her marriage to care for Elias after a terminal diagnosis, leading to a love affair marked by intense highs and devastating lows.
Gilbert first met Elias, a hairdresser and former drug addict, in 2000. At the time, Gilbert was married and living a conventional life. Elias, who was three years sober, showed Gilbert her sobriety chips and spoke openly about her past addiction to cocaine and heroin. The two remained friends for years before their relationship deepened.
In 2016, Elias was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given six months to live. Gilbert, then married to José Nunes, decided to leave her husband to care for Elias. The pair began a romantic relationship, with Elias reportedly saying, 'Let's just live balls to the wall until I die!' However, as Elias's health declined, she relapsed into drug use, creating a chaotic and dangerous environment.
Gilbert describes their East Village apartment becoming a 'dungeon of misery' filled with cocaine, morphine, and other drugs. Elias became paranoid and verbally abusive, accusing Gilbert of being a 'fucking shit show of a failure'. Despite this, Gilbert remained by her side until Elias's death in January 2018.
Gilbert's memoir, 'City of Girls', is set for release in June 2019. She has spoken about the experience as a profound, if painful, chapter in her life.
