By Benjamin Blosse,PA Reporter

Copyright manchestereveningnews

JK Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, has accused actress Emma Watson of being “ignorant of how ignorant she is” amid their ongoing dispute over transgender views. Watson, along with her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, have publicly supported transgender rights in recent years, distancing themselves from Rowling who has criticised the actors in response. Rowling, 60, has previously faced accusations of transphobia due to her views on gender identity, which she refutes. The author’s latest comments were made in response to Watson, 35, discussing their relationship on Jay Shetty’s mental health podcast on Thursday. During the podcast, Watson said: “I think it’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with.” In a lengthy post on X, Rowling stated on Monday: “Like other people who’ve never experienced adult life uncushioned by wealth and fame, Emma has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.” Rowling said Watson, who portrayed Hermione Granger in the eight-part film series based on the novels, will never need a homeless shelter or be placed on a mixed sex public hospital ward. She further added: “I’d be astounded if she’s been in a high street changing room since childhood. Her ‘public bathroom’ is single occupancy and comes with a security man standing guard outside the door. “I lived in poverty while writing the book that made Emma famous” and therefore “understand from my own life experience what the trashing of women’s rights in which Emma has so enthusiastically participated means to women and girls without her privileges”. In response to Rowling’s essay advocating for single-sex spaces, Watson had tweeted in 2020: “Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren’t who they say they are.” However, Rowling revealed the “turning point” in their relationship occurred in 2022 when Watson delivered a Bafta speech stating “I’m here for all the witches”, which some interpreted as a critique of the author’s views on gender. Watson then penned a note saying “I’m so sorry for what you’re going through” and requested someone deliver it to Rowling in a “postscript that hurt far more than the speech itself”, the author claimed on X. This happened at a time “when the death, rape and torture threats against me were at their peak” and “Emma had just publicly poured more petrol on the flames, yet thought a one-line expression of concern from her would reassure me of her fundamental sympathy and kindness”, she said. Rowling stated: “The greatest irony here is that, had Emma not decided in her most recent interview to declare that she loves and treasures me – a change of tack I suspect she’s adopted because she’s noticed full-throated condemnation of me is no longer quite as fashionable as it was – I might never have been this honest.” During the podcast, Watson had said: “I really don’t believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have, mean that I can’t and don’t treasure Jo and the person that I had personal experiences with. “I will never believe that one negates the other and that my experience of that person, I don’t get to keep and cherish.” Watson, who is currently studying at the University of Oxford, added: “I think the thing I’m most upset about is that a conversation was never made possible.” Rowling added that Watson and Radcliffe “have both made it clear over the last few years that they think our former professional association gives them a particular right – nay, obligation – to critique me and my views in public. “When you’ve known people since they were 10 years old it’s hard to shake a certain protectiveness. Until quite recently, I hadn’t managed to throw off the memory of children who needed to be gently coaxed through their dialogue in a big scary film studio. “For the past few years, I’ve repeatedly declined invitations from journalists to comment on Emma specifically, most notably on the Witch Trials of JK Rowling. “Ironically, I told the producers that I didn’t want her to be hounded as the result of anything I said.” Rowling’s post on X featured a video from GB News where Fiona McAnena, author of ‘Terf Island: How The UK Resisted Trans Ideology’, stated to the channel: “When you see the media starting to say trans women are men, think I think we really are winning.” Ms McAnena further commented: “Whether (Watson) is trying to row back from that full-hearted support for transitioning children, or whether she’s just trying to get back in with JK Rowling in the hope of work, who knows?”.