Harry Potter author JK Rowling has revealed that Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore is gay.
Rowling spoke about Dumbledore's sexuality after giving a reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in the series, at Carnegie Hall, New York.
The writer invited questions from the audience and was asked by a young fan if Dumbledore had found "true love".
"Dumbledore is gay," she replied, explaining that he had fallen in love with rival Gellert Grindelwald, who he beat in a battle between good and bad wizards long ago.
"Falling in love can blind us to an extent," she continued, before describing Dumbledore's love as a "great tragedy" and explaining that he had felt "horribly, terribly let down".
Rowling told fans that the initial script for the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince made reference to a girl that Dumbledore had once been interested in. She revealed the truth about the character to director David Yates, who removed the line.
She added that the Harry Potter books can be seen as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and instructed her fans to "question authority".
Daniel has been writing about soaps on Digital Spy since 2004 and took over as Soaps Editor in 2010.
He has interviewed hundreds of soap stars over the years, from Bill Roache to Lacey Turner, and regularly visits the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks for behind-the-scenes trips and press events.
He has served as an awards judge on numerous occasions for the likes of the BAFTA TV Awards, RTS Programme Awards and British Soap Awards. In 2020, he was Highly Commended for Best Section Editor at the BSME Awards.
