JK Rowling’s husband Jorge Arantes has admitted to ‘slapping her’ during their relationship but says he’s not sorry.
The shock admission came less than 24 hours after the Harry Potter author opened up about being a survivor of domestic violence at the hands during her first marriage.
Speaking on the doorstep of his mum’s home in Porto, Arantes said: “I slapped Joanne — but there was not sustained abuse.
“I’m not sorry for slapping her.”
He continued to The Sun: “Yes. It is true I slapped her. But I didn’t abuse her.”
He added of Rowling’s claims: “If she says that, that’s up to her. It’s not true I hit her.”
J K Rowling opened up about suffering domestic abuse (Image: PA)
The writer spoke frankly about her personal experience in a long blog post as she defended herself from accusations of transphobia on Wednesday evening.
Rowling said that she and other survivors are “slurred as bigots” when they argue for the need of single sex public spaces such as toilets and changing rooms.
She wrote: “I’ve been in the public eye now for over 20 years and have never talked publicly about being a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor.
JK Rowling is one of the most success British authors of all time (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
“This isn’t because I’m ashamed those things happened to me, but because they’re traumatic to revisit and remember.
“I also feel protective of my daughter from my first marriage. I didn’t want to claim sole ownership of a story that belongs to her, too.
“However, a short while ago, I asked her how she’d feel if I were publicly honest about that part of my life and she encouraged me to go ahead
.
“I’m mentioning these things now not in an attempt to garner sympathy, but out of solidarity with the huge numbers of women who have histories like mine, who’ve been slurred as bigots for having concerns around single-sex spaces.”
Insisting she is looking out for everyone, including trans people, Rowling said: “My life has been shaped by being female.
“I do not believe it’s hateful to say so.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
