Jorge Arantes, 54, accused the famous author of being “delirious” after she claimed that he held her books hostage.
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Rowling had previously said that Portuguese reporter Arantes had kept the pages of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone “hostage” as their marriage broke down.
She made the extraordinary claims on the podcast ‘The Witch Trials of JK Rowling’, with two episodes published earlier this week.
But Arantes denied he had ever taken the book, before firing back with his own claims that he actually co-authored the best-selling series.
In a bizarre rant from his home in Portugal, Arantes told Mail Online: “I don’t know why she is saying what she is now, maybe she is delirious from three years of Covid lockdown.
“I was surprised when I read about this. I deny it. It doesn’t make any sense. Why would I do something like that? Maybe you should ask her.”
Arantes insists he was “very involved” with the writing of the series, he continued: “When she was writing the book, I was participating in it, she was reading it out to me, and I was reading it to her.
“The first book was fascinating; the writing was wonderful, and I always liked it because we shared a passion for literature, and especially literature for children.
“The project was for seven books, and I was very involved with the first one and she knows that. She started writing it when we were together.”
Arantes, a former TV presenter, married Rowling in 1992 and the following year the pair welcomed a daughter named Jessica.
Arantes is said to now live a solitary life in the same city where the former couple met more than 30 years ago – their love blossoming over their shared interest in Jane Austen.
In the first instalment of her podcast, Rowling said she had to sneak pages of the manuscript out of the home she shared with Arantes one at a time so that he wouldn’t notice.
The author said she’d take the pages to work, photocopy them and store them in a cupboard.
She said: “And gradually in a cupboard in the staff room, 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.”
Back in 2020, Rowling opened up on her abusive experiences in a lengthy and emotional post online.
Arantes admitted to slapping the renowned author but said: “I’m not sorry.”
On his mum’s doorstep in Porto he added: “I slapped Joanne — but there was not sustained abuse. I’m not sorry for slapping her.”
Rowling wrote: “I’ve been in the public eye now for over twenty years and have never talked publicly about being a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor.
“This isn’t because I’m ashamed those things happened to me, but because they’re traumatic to revisit and remember.”
Rowling, now happily married to Neil Murray, continued: “I managed to escape my first violent marriage with some difficulty.
“But I’m now married to a truly good and principled man, safe and secure in ways I never in a million years expected to be.”
Rowling had never previously spoken publicly about her ordeals in a bid to protect Jessica, now 29.
She has been married to Murray since 2001 and the couple have two children.
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.