J K Rowling claims her “abusive” ex-husband hid the manuscript for the first Harry Potter novel in a bid to stop her leaving him.
The author said she feared Jorge Arantes would “burn” or “hold hostage” the pages of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.
Rowling, 57, who left Arantes in 1993, said: “At a point he took the manuscript and hid it.”
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But she found it and “would take a few pages into work every day so he wouldn’t realise anything was missing, and photocopy it”.
(Image: Getty Images)
She added: “I suspected that if I wasn’t able to get out with everything he’d burn it or hold it hostage.”
Rowling, who has been married to Neil Murray since 2001, spoke about her first marriage on podcast The Witch Trials Of JK Rowling.
Arantes has admitted he “slapped her very hard” on the night she left.
Rowling received just 10 mentions in the Harry Potter 20th anniversary reunion special, Return to Hogwarts, in January last year.
(Image: Hansons / SWNS)
The author’s lack of appearance in the special show comes after the writer was embroiled in scandal over her controversial comments on transgender issues.
Some fans branded Rowling as ‘transphobic’ and called for her to be ‘cancelled’.
Before the show aired on Saturday, it was known she’d only appear in archive footage and in discussion with stars and cast.
After the special’s release, Rowling received just 10 mentions during the one-hour and 42-minute episode from HBO Max.
(Image: Getty Images)
Fans have been shocked at her minimal appearance in the 20th-anniversary show, with many highlighting the worldwide franchise wouldn’t exist without her seven books.
Christopher Columbus, who directed the first two movies, explained how he became involved in the films.
He says: “I had to fly to Edinburgh to meet Jo Rowling and I said “This is my vision of the movies” and she said she had the same.”
Ginny Weasley, played by Bonnie Wright, also mentioned JK and spoke of how people loved her books.
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She said: “So many people were falling in love with her writing.”
The author was spotted in archive footage of her signing the first book at an event, and Hagrid actor Robbie Coltrane opened up over Rowling helped people fall in love with books again in the early Noughties.
The only footage of the writer speaking herself and not being mentioned is taken from a 2019 interview which is repeatedly serialised.
Rowling was reportedly approached about filming new footage for the reunion special, but she and her team believed the 2019 interview would be enough.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
