The Harry Potter author has revealed that she suffered from a severe depression following the breakdown of her first marriage, which at one point included thoughts of suicide.
The 42-year-old was keen not to downplay her plight, which she disclosed in an interview with Edinburgh University's Student newspaper earlier this month, but which only recently caught the eye of the world's press.
"We're talking suicidal thoughts here, we're not talking 'I'm a little bit miserable,' " Rowling said of the depths of her depression.
While the blockbuster author has been open about her battle with the blues before now, she has not previously spoken about having thoughts of suicide.