JK Rowling feared ex-husband would ‘burn first Harry Potter manuscript’

JK Rowling has described how she feared her ex-husband would burn the manuscript for her first Harry Potter book.

The author opened up about her marriage to Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes in the first episode of the podcast The Witch Trials of JK Rowling.

Rowling, who has previously spoken about her experiences of domestic abuse, recalled how she would sneak the manuscript out of her house “a few pages” at a time as she prepared to leave Arantes.

The national domestic abuse helpline can offer support on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the Women’s Aid website.

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