JK Rowling tells Oprah how she beat her suicidal demons

HARRY POTTER author JK Rowling has opened her heart to Oprah Winfrey about the depression that drove her to the brink of suicide in a candid interview to be shown across America next week.

Harry Potter author Rowling talks about her struggles before finding fame Harry Potter author Rowling talks about her struggles before finding fame

The notoriously shy writer, now worth an estimated £519million, gave an emotional account of her battle with demons as she struggled to cope with being a single mother and an aspiring novelist before finding fame.

Oprah flew to Scotland to meet Rowling, 45, in an Edinburgh hotel. She asked her about her regrets in life, her critics and her husband Dr Neil Murray, who is described as the “love of her life”.

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In the candid hour-long interview to be shown across America on Friday, she also discovers why Rowling once turned down an offer from pop star Michael Jackson.

A trailer on chat show queen Oprah’s website says “the first self-made billionaire author in history” opens up about “depression, her biggest regrets, and the love of her life”. She rarely gives interviews, but two years ago told a student newspaper the end of her first marriage to Jorge Arantes left her suicidal.

Confessing she went to her GP with serious depression, she said: “We’re talking suicidal thoughts here, we’re not talking about, ‘I’m a little bit miserable’.”

She said she probably ended counselling sessions too early, adding “I went through a really rough time and I am quite proud that I got out of that.”

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