The author and mother of three first told fans that Dumbledore was gay in 2007, after the final book in the wizarding series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published.

She said Dumbledore was once infatuated with the wizard Gellert Grindelwald, but the two became rivals when Grindelwald turned out to be more interested in the dark than the good arts. Dumbledore went on to destroy Grindelwald.

"It has certainly never been news to me that a brave and brilliant man could love other men. He is my character. He is what he is and I have the right to say what I say about him," said Rowling at the time.

J.K.Rowling hits back at homophobic Twitter attack on beloved character Dumbledore