Her journey from being a poverty-stricken single mother to the world’s richest author has inspired girls and women around the world.
But when it comes to tackling the huge spiders that creep into her Scottish home, Harry Potter writer JK Rowling has admitted she is not as brave as her famous wizard character.
She tweeted a picture of the giant arachnid trapped beneath a large vase to her 12.6million followers this morning.
She added the message: ‘I am a strong, independent woman. Also, thanks very much to my husband for dealing with this so I could go through the door it was blocking.’
Author JK Rowling confessed her husband had to tackle this huge spider at their home
The writer has been married to Dr Neil Murray since 2001 and they live together in Scotland
Her tweet caused hilarity among fans, with Zoel Hernandez replying: ‘I’m a strong independent man, but I would not even get close to that sorry. I hate spiders.’
Another wrote: ‘That thing… is huge,’ to which the author replied: ‘Thank you. My point exactly.’
Others tweeted Harry Potter memes, such as character Ron Weasley asking: ‘Can we panic now?’
Some volunteered photos of their own brushes with spiders in recent weeks, with replies coming from around the world.
And others compared the creature to Aragog, the huge spider from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Ms Rowling wed her second husband Dr Neil Murray in 2001. She has since revealed the Scot has converted her to rugby.
The tweet pleased Rowling’s many fans, who responded with Harry Potter-themed memes
Other fans around the world sent the author pictures of spiders they had seen in recent weeks
September is often a month when British homeowners face down massive spiders, with plunging temperatures outside sending spiders who have grown large over the summer scuttling inside for warmth.
Common house spiders can have a leg span of up to five inches (12cm), with females growing the largest.
Scientists last year named a newly-discovered species of spider Eriovixia Gryffindori after the house at Harry Potter’s school Gryffindor.