Elizabeth Gilbert Tells Fans She Isn’t ‘Having a Midlife Crisis’

Elizabeth Gilbert says she knows that her new romance with her longtime best friend has sparked speculation.

“Now I’ve just left another marriage, it’s starting to look irresponsible and people are saying I’m having a midlife crisis, and ‘What is she doing?’ ” Gilbert said in a Facebook Live chat Tuesday.

Gilbert, 47, announced earlier this month that she ended her marriage to José Nunes after falling in love with author, musician and hairstylist Rayya Elias.

The Eat, Pray, Love author said in a Sept. 7 Facebook post that she and Elias were friends for 15 years before she realized her “true feelings.” Elias is currently battling pancreatic and liver cancer, and Gilbert promised to be by her side.

Before marrying Nunes – who inspired the “love” portion of her famous memoir – Gilbert was wed to Michael Cooper until 2002.

Gilbert further explained Tuesday of leaving Nunes, “All I’m doing is telling the truth, again, and again, and again. In a way that says, ‘This isn’t working for me, I have to do this now.’ ”

When she initially broke the news of her new relationship, Gilbert wrote, “I need to live my life in truth and transparency, even more than I need privacy, or good publicity, or prudence, or other people’s approval or understanding, or just about anything else.”

Gilbert’s 2015 book, Big Magic, is now available in paperback.

This article originally appeared on People.com