Valentina Petrillo, the first openly transgender athlete at the Paralympics, has hit back at JK Rowling after her “out and proud cheat” claim.

Petrillo, 51, was born male and now identifies as a woman.

She competed as a man up to the age of 45. Her visual impairment saw her qualify for this summer’s Paralympics in Paris, with her appearance coming off the back of Imane Khelif’s controversial Olympics boxing win.

Petrillo reached the semi-finals of the T12 200m and 400m races.

But her inclusion in the women’s races prompted an outcry as she went through puberty as a male.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling was one of Petrillo’s fiercest opponents.

She even branded the Italian an “out and proud cheat”, with Petrillo’s participation denying female-born athletes a chance to live their Paralympics dream.

However, Petrillo hit back trackside at Rowling, saying: “I have never read Harry Potter.”

And she also told The Times: “JK Rowling is only concerned about the fact that I use the female toilet, but she doesn’t know anything about me.”

Petrillo also opened up one her hormone therapy, which started in 2019.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling was one of Petrillo’s fiercest opponents.

She added: “The beginning is devastating. I gained 10 kilos in the first month.

“My metabolism completely changed. In the first year my chest grew and, mentally, everything was different.

“I started to have a much great sensitivity. The smallest thing would make me feel like crying.”

On critics in general, Petrillo added: “All of this fear that trans people will destroy the world [of women’s sport] actually does not exist.

“People said men would go to compete as women just so they could win, but this has not happened at all. It is just transphobia.”