Rowling misses private Potter screening

JK Rowling missed the first screening of the next Harry Potter film to take care of her sick husband.

Dr Neil Murray, 34, is recovering at the couple’s Edinburgh home after an operation for appendicitis.

The doctor, who married the writer in 2001, was taken ill last week and Rowling decided to skip the first private showing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to be with him.

A spokeswoman for the author said: “He had an operation and is now recovering at home.

“She wasn’t able to attend because she was spending time with him.”

The fourth film to be adapted from the series, it hits cinemas on November 18 and is expected to be one of the festive season’s biggest box-office earners.

Directed by Four Weddings and a Funeral’s Mike Newell, the film sees Harry compete in the Triwizard Tournament.

The Harry Potter books have been translated into more than 55 languages, and it has been estimated that more than 250 million copies have been sold around the world.

Rowling, 40, met Murray around five years ago. They have two children, David, two, and nine-month-old Mackenzie.