JK Rowling has claimed that her former husband, Jorge Arantes, tried to hide the unpublished manuscript of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to stop her from leaving him.
The Scottish author has previously spoken out about the “abuse” suffered in her marriage to the Portuguese journalist, who has admitted to hitting her.
Ms Rowling went on to find fame and fortune with the Harry Potter franchise after divorcing Mr Arantes.
But who is Jorge Arantes and what has JK Rowling now said?
How did they meet?
Ms Rowling was working as an English teacher in the Portugese city Porto in the early 1990s and met Mr Arantes in a bar, where they discussed their shared interest in Jane Austen novels.
They had a troubled relationship, with Ms Rowling suffering a miscarriage before they were married in October 1992. They had a daughter, Jessica, in 1993.
Did Jorge Arantes abuse JK Rowling?
The pair have different accounts of the relationship but agree there had been violence.
Ms Rowling has spoken about her marriage at length, which she called “short and catastrophic”. She has spoken about alleged domestic abuse and has recalled that she was thrown out of the house before returning with police to rescue Jessica.
Mr Arantes told the Sun in 2020 he was “not sorry” for slapping her but added, “there was not sustained abuse”. He said: “Yes. It is true I slapped her. But I didn’t abuse her.”
The pair divorced in 1995 but had split up two years prior.
What has been revealed now?
On Wednesday (February 22), the author spoke on the podcast The Witch Trials of JK Rowling, about how he held the early parts of Harry Potter “hostage”.
“At this point, he’s searching my handbag every time I come home,” she said. “I haven’t got a key to my front door because he’s got to control the front door.”
She said she would keep writing and would sneak parts of the novel to her workplace, where she would photocopy it.
“And gradually in a cupboard in the staffroom, bit by bit, a photocopied manuscript grew and grew and grew, because I suspected that, if I wasn’t able to get out with everything, he would burn it or take it or hold it hostage.
“That manuscript still meant so much to me. That was the thing that I prioritised for saving. The only thing I prioritised beyond that was my daughter but, at that point, she’s still inside me.”
What happened next?
Throughout the late 1990s, Ms Rowling struggled to raise a child by herself and was suffering financial hardship. She also battled depression and contemplated suicide.
Her health gradually recovered and she finished the book while working as a secretary in 1995, which she described as “saving” her.
After many rejections, Bloomsbury published the book, which was a gradual success before it was received by a much larger audience - eventually bringing Ms Rowling huge wealth.
Ms Rowling went on to marry Neil Murray, a doctor, in 2001. The pair have two children together, as well as Jessica.
What happened to Jorge Arantes?
Mr Arantes was a journalist in Portugal and has worked as a television reporter. The Mirror has reported that he had an all-consuming drug habit that spiralled after Ms Rowling left him and he lost his job.
It is understood he is estranged from his daughter and was last known to be living in Paris.
Jorge Arantes could not be reached for comment.
