Ending Harry Potter 'worse than divorce'

JK Rowling found ending her relationship with her beloved fictional character Harry Potter more painful than going through a divorce.

The celebrated children's author revealed that she was more traumatised when she finally finished the last book in the wizarding series than when she separated from her first husband.

Rowling, 42, made the revelation as she accepted the gong for outstanding achievement at the South Bank Show awards, held at the Dorchester Hotel on Tuesday (January 28th).

She said: "It has been the worst break-up of my life - far worse than splitting up with any man. But it has also been wonderful to stop and draw breath and think, 'My God, look what's happened with an idea I had 17 years ago on a train'."

Rowling married Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes in 1990. The couple had a daughter together, Jessica, but the marriage collapsed and the author moved from Portugal back to Edinburgh in 1994.

She wrote the first Harry Potter book while in the Scottish city and the seven-tome series has now made her an estimated £545 million. Rowling married her second husband Neil Murray in 2001 and the couple have two children together.

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