'Eat Pray Love' author announces lesbian relationship

LOS ANGELES  — "Eat Pray Love" author Elizabeth Gilbert, who split from her husband of nine years in July, says she's in love with her best friend, a woman named Rayya Elias, who was recently diagnosed with incurable pancreatic and liver cancer.

Gilbert says in a lengthy Facebook post Wednesday the terminal diagnosis uncovered her true feelings for her longtime friend, and those feelings led to Gilbert's divorce from Jose Nunes, whom she described falling for at the end of her best-selling memoir. The posting was confirmed by Gilbert's publicist at Riverhead Books, Jynne Martin.

Gilbert says she is making her relationship with Elias public because such "truth and transparency" make her life easier and more ethical.

She asked her readers for their love.