J.K. Rowling tops European celeb earnings chart with £71m

17 October 2017

J.K. Rowling has been named the highest-paid European celebrity after earning £71 million.

J.K. Rowling

The 'Harry Potter' author amassed the huge sum over 12 months before taxes and management fees, according to an estimate by Forbes, which also named the writer third highest-paid on its list of world celebs.

Nearly half of the 52-year-old star's earnings come from her writing about the fictional wizard, with her latest book about the character, co-written play 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child', selling more than 1.3 million copies in Britain alone making it the nation's bestselling book in 2016.

J.K. topped the Forbes list just ahead of former Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who amassed £70 million thanks to his bumper Real Madrid contract and various endorsement deals.

Musicians also had a big part to play in the top 20 with British band Coldplay (£66 million), and singers Adele (£51 million), Sir Elton John (£45 million) and Sir Paul McCartney (£40 million) all making the top 10.

J.K. and Adele are the only women in the top 20, half of which is made up of professional athletes, including tennis superstar Roger Federer (£48 million), golfer Rory McIlroy (£37 million) and Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton (£34 million), who all made the top 10.

Other big names from the UK who made the list include 'X Factor' boss Simon Cowell, who earned £34 million, and singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, who was 15th after amassing £28 million.

The top 20 highest-paid European celebs earned more than $1 billion before taxes and management fees.

Forbes' Highest-Paid European Celebrities 2017 List:

1 - J.K.Rowling (UK, £71million)

2 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, £70million)

3 - Coldplay (UK, £66million)

4 - Adele (UK, £51million)

5 - Roger Federer (Switzerland; £48million)

6 - Elton John (UK, £45million)

6 - Gordon Ramsey (UK, £45million)

7 - Paul McCartney (UK, £40million)

8 - Rory McIlroy (UK, £37million)

9 - Calvin Harris (UK, £36million)