Harry Potter author Rowling is world’s third top earning celebrity

LUCY MAPSTONE

Rowling’s theme park earnings from The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter attractions at Universal Studios have also helped her financial surge.

The novelist’s return to the list, which details the world’s highestpaid celebrities over a 12-month period, comes two weeks ahead of the 20th anniversary of her first book in the wizarding series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

She is one of two British entries in the global top 10, as rock band Coldplay secured eighth place with earnings of £69.5m, after failing to make the list in 2016.

Topping the list overall is American rapper and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs, whose earnings of £102.7m are due to his Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, his partnership with Diageo’s Ciroc vodka and selling a portion of his Sean John clothing label for an estimated £55.3m.

Singer and performer Beyonce is in second place with earnings of £80m, Canadian rapper Drake is in fourth place with £74.3m and Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo rounds off the top five with £74.5m.

British singer-songwriter Adele has slipped from number nine to 18th place with annual earnings of £54.5m.

Singer Sir Elton John is in joint 26th place with TV chef Gordon Ramsay, both with estimated earnings of £47.4m.

Other British celebrities in the top 100 list include musician Sir Paul McCartney at number 32, golfer Rory McIlroy at 37, DJ and Scots producer Calvin Harris at 40, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton at 46, and TV and music mogul Simon Cowell in 50th place.

Last year’s number one, Taylor Swift, has slipped to 49 after seeing her earnings take a drop from £134.3m to £34.8m.

Forbes ranks talent from across the entire entertainment industry to compile the annual list, and its findings are based on numbers from Nielsen, Pollstar and IMDB, as well as interviews with industry experts and many of the stars themselves.