J.K. Rowling admits she has fetish for towering stilettos

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Harry Potter author spoke of how millions are 'obsessed' by footwear
Described her own fascination with the 'fetishised' item of clothing
She commissioned a segment on the 'myth and power' of shoes for Radio 4
5ft 4in Rowling often pictured in towering heels at red carpet events
But she revealed that she still has trusty flat boots for walking with pets

Published: 06:25 EST, 28 April 2014 | Updated: 07:28 EST, 28 April 2014

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Few women know as well as J.K. Rowling that the pen is mightier than the sword – but when it comes to fashion she has revealed little compares to the power of the stiletto.

The Harry Potter author has spoken of her passion for shoes – the taller the better – and confessed herself no exception to the millions of women ‘obsessed’ by footwear.

‘Naturally. I’m not a pumps girl, I’m not a sensible flats girl’, Rowling, 48, said before speculating on ‘the power and myth of the shoe’, which she described as the most ‘mythologised, fetishised’ fashion item of all.

Well-heeled: The Harry Potter author has often made public appearances in towering shoes. At the premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, left, she wore towering Christian Louboutins, while at the Pride of Britain awards two years previously, right, she was seen in a commanding red-and-black pair

'Power of the shoe': Rowling told Radio 4 that she was no exception to the women who were 'obsessed' by footware

Indeed, so caught up in the allure of the high heels is Rowling that, when offered a the chance to guest edit a Radio 4 programme, she dedicated a portion to exploring their history and literary significance.

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The light-hearted segment, which the 5ft 4in author commissioned as the first guest editor of Woman’s Hour, followed items on women’s rugby, medical research and her children's charity, Lumos.

The piece saw two fashion experts recount the history of the high heel from an 18th-century horse-riding aid to the often-sexually-charged piece of footwear it is today.

High society: Rowling's love of heels was also on show outside 10 Downing Street at a G20 Dinner, left, and in 2012 at an event at the Southbank Centre in London to promote her novel The Casual Vacancy

Introducing the segment, she said: ‘There are far more important things in life than shoes. But having said that, I like shoes and I have often wondered in a vague way why women are so obsessed with this particular item of clothing.

‘And I think it is undeniable that probably shoes do come first in the most mythologised, fetishised item list, I’d say.

‘So I thought this was a great opportunity to investigate that, and I thought how often shoes turn up in stories and fairy tales and why is that. What is the power and myth of the shoe?’

Rowling has shown off her taste for daring heels before – she was pictured in towering, gold Christian Louboutin shoes at the premier to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2009, as well as a black and red pair at a 2007 awards ceremony.

A shoe-in: Rowling poses left in 2006 before winning a British Book Award, and right when launching the Pottermore fan website in 2011

A visit to the G20 Dinner at 10 Downing Street in 2009 also saw Rowling don an eye-catching silver pair, while at the British Book Awards in 2006 she paraded her heels on the red carpet before honing in on them as a mark of her success.

She told the audience: ‘My first award was a Nibbie, but that night I was wearing much, much cheaper shoes.’

However, she admitted that – even for her – flats have their place. She said: ‘I do own some flat boots, because there does come a point when it gets a little bit ridiculous – you need to be able to walk the dog, and I do walk the dog, and I don’t do that in stilettos.’