‘I slapped her but I’m not sorry’: JK Rowling's ex-husband says there was 'no domestic or sexual violence' in their marriage but ADMITS he did 'slap' her - as he breaks silence over her revelations amid 'transphobia' row

JK Rowling's first husband broke his silence last night to deny any domestic or sexual violence – but bizarrely admitted slapping her.

Jorge Arantes rejected the Harry Potter author's description of their 'violent marriage', complaining: 'She shouldn't have involved me.'

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Arantes insisted he had not yet read his former wife's bombshell essay, in which she spoke of the scars of her past.

He declared: 'There was no domestic violence, nor sexual violence.' Extraordinarily, he added: 'I slapped her, but I didn't abuse her.'

Mr Arantes also told The Sun: ‘There was not sustained abuse. I’m not sorry for slapping her.’

It came as Miss Rowling suffered a major backlash over her decision to go public on her views about transgender issues, which she said was influenced by her own experience of domestic violence and a serious sexual assault as a young woman.

A parade of Harry Potter stars – who all owe their Hollywood careers to Miss Rowling – lined up to put the boot in, rejecting her concerns about transgender issues.

The author wrote on Wednesday night that she was 'deeply concerned' some young people faced enormous pressures to switch genders.

She even claimed she might have changed to become a man herself to turn herself into the son her father openly wanted, if she had faced the influences around today when she was a girl.

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Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Arantes (pictured) insisted he had not yet read his former wife's bombshell essay, in which she spoke of the scars of her past

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Turbulent: JK Rowling with first husband Jorge Arantes, who has admitted to 'slapping' her

Amid the fallout yesterday, a British school dropped 'J K Rowling' as a name for one of its houses because she was 'no longer felt to be an appropriate role model'.

And even Miss Rowling's favourite Harry Potter website, The Leaky Cauldron – the biggest fan site in the world – suggested followers should stop buying her books or watching her films.

In her deeply personal and compelling 3,600-word essay posted to her website, Miss Rowling described the dangers of young people being convinced to change their gender and then regretting it. 

She savaged 'trans activists' who disagreed with her, and revealed some of the vile insults they had thrown at her for speaking her mind.

She cited one of her five reasons for going public as having suffered a 'violent marriage' to Portuguese former TV journalist Mr Arantes, to whom she had a whirlwind marriage in the 1990s. She also said she had been the victim of a sexual assault in her twenties, but did not identify her attacker.

Yesterday, speaking at his home in Porto, northern Portugal, Mr Arantes told the Daily Mail: 'I'm not exactly aware of what she said but I have nothing to add.

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Ms Rowling made her astonishing revelations, describing herself as 'a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor' in a 3,663 word essay posted on her personal website on Wednesday

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On Wednesday, the author revealed in a 3,500-word blog post that she was a 'domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor' and was in a 'violent' first marriage to Portuguese journalism student Jorge Arantes. Pictured: The former couple with their daughter Jessica, who is now 26

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JK Rowling alongside her father Peter Rowling and step-mother Janet after a degree ceremony at Exeter University in 2000

'There was no domestic violence, nor sexual violence. I don't know exactly what she said, I still have to read it, but I'm not interested in commenting or refuting. 

'I don't know why she involved me, if she involved me and if she was really referring to me. Apparently it has to do with transsexuals and transphobia. I have nothing to do with that and she shouldn't involve me.'

Mr Arantes, 52, was quoted in the past as saying he and Miss Rowling had split up after an argument when their daughter Jessica, now 26, was a baby, saying: 'I admit I slapped her very hard in the street.' 

Yesterday he insisted: 'I slapped her, but I didn't abuse her.'  

Rowling made the decision to move to Porto after he mother passed away in December 1990, and met Mr Arantes two years later.

The couple were brought together by a love of books and married in October 1992, but Rowling left with her daughter - who was only two months old at the time - in November the next year. 

Rowling returned the UK and set up up in Edinburgh where she would get her life-changing publishing deal.

Mr Arantes came to find her in 1994 to see his young daughter but Rowling took out a restraining order against him. He currently lives in Porto in a townhouse owned by his mother.

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Her remarks led to a backlash from stars including Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the film franchise of the series, and Eddie Redmayne, who stars in Rowling's Fantastic Beasts films

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Radcliffe responded to Ms Rowling in an article for The Trevor Project,  a US-based organisation supporting focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth

Amid the fallout from Miss Rowling's essay yesterday, Bonnie Wright, the actress who played Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter films, joined her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in choosing to attack the creator of the roles that made them famous.

Miss Wright, 29, tweeted from Los Angeles: 'If Harry Potter was a source of love and belonging for you, that love is infinite and there to take without judgment or question. Transwomen are Women. I see and love you, Bonnie x.'

Miss Watson, 30, who played Hermione Granger, told her 29million Twitter followers: 'Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren't who they say they are.'

Miss Watson, who is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, wrote: 'I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are.'

Many questioned the timing of their social media posts because they came hours after the author spoke about escaping her 'violent marriage' and also revealed she was seriously sexually assaulted as a young woman.

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Fantastic Beast And Where To Find Them star Eddie Redmayne, 38, joined in the chorus of critics towards the author

Emma Watson, who played Hermione in the Harry Potter films, also criticised Ms Rowling in a series of tweets on Wednesday

One Twitter user replied to Miss Watson: 'I've never seen someone bite the hand that fed them so callously. 

She just disclosed her sexual assault and this is your response. Your 'feminism' is back to front. It's a joke.' Others told Miss Wright: 'You clearly haven't read J K's essay' and 'You would have been nothing without her. Shame on you.'

Warner Bros, the Hollywood studio behind the blockbuster Harry Potter films, issued a carefully-worded statement praising 'the work of our storytellers who give so much of themselves' while calling for 'understanding of all communities and all people'.

The Weald School in Billingshurst, West Sussex, wrote to parents announcing that it was scrapping plans to use J K Rowling's name because she was 'no longer felt to be an appropriate role model'.

Deputy headteacher Sarah Edwards said: 'J K Rowling has tweeted some messages which are considered to be offensive to the LGBT+ community (specifically, transphobic) and we feel that we do not wish to be associated with these views.'

Instead the house will be named Blackman, after children's author Malorie Blackman.

However, support for Miss Rowling came from thousands of tweets and messages backing her views that young people may regret changing gender if they are rushed into it.

Gingerbread, a charity supporting single parents which Miss Rowling has long championed, said: 'We remain grateful for her patronage.'