Financial wizard Rowling is UK’s richest celebrity
NEARLY 20 years to the day since the first harry Potter book went on sale, JK Rowling’s success story shows no signs of ending.
The 51-year-old author has been named Britain’s top-earner on the entertainment rich list published by Forbes magazine.
With earnings of £75million in 2016, Rowling was third on the global list, largely thanks to the success of her co-written, twopart stage play, harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was also last year’s best-selling book.
her theme park earnings from attractions around the world also significantly boosted her coffers.
Miss Rowling’s return to the list, which details the world’s highestpaid celebrities over a 12-month period, follows a three- year absence and comes two weeks ahead of the 20th anniversary of harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
her personal fortune is now estimated to be in excess of £600million.
The only other British entertainers in the top ten are rock band Coldplay in eighth place, with earnings of £69.5million.
American rapper Sean Combs – better known as P Diddy – tops the list with earnings of £102.7million. On top of a world tour he sold a portion of his eponymous clothing label.
British singer-songwriter Adele slipped out of the top ten to 18th place with annual earnings of £54.5million, but the biggest faller was Taylor Swift. The US pop star is 49th on the list after her earnings shrank to a ‘mere’ £34.8million from a table-topping £134.3million in 2015.