British comedian, actor and children’s author David Walliams has been accused of grooming and preying on teenage girls and young women in a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News. He denies the claims and says he is not a sexual predator.
David Walliams is facing serious allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards teenage girls and young women dating back more than two decades, according to a joint investigation published by The Guardian and ITV News.
The reports, which emerged after Walliams lost a High Court bid to prevent publication, detail claims from multiple women that the 55-year-old used his growing celebrity status in the early 2000s to pursue them for sexual purposes when they were teenagers or young adults. Most of the women were over 18 at the time of the alleged encounters. Two women, identified by the pseudonyms Alex and Jade, say they first came into contact with him when they were 15.
Walliams has strongly denied wrongdoing. In a letter to journalists working on the investigation he wrote: “I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me. Whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.”
He added that looking back he realised he had at times “behaved thoughtlessly” towards people he had casual sexual relationships with and did not always take their feelings properly into account.
Walliams rose to prominence as co-creator and star of the BBC sketch series Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas. He later became a bestselling children’s author, with titles including The Boy in the Dress, Mr Stink and Gangsta Granny. His books have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. He also spent a decade as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent before leaving the show in 2022.
The investigation also examined claims of inappropriate conduct in professional settings, including messages sent to young female runners on Britain’s Got Talent and behaviour towards junior staff at his former publisher HarperCollins. HarperCollins dropped Walliams last year and later announced it would no longer publish his back catalogue. His literary agents, Independent Talent Group, have now confirmed they are no longer representing him in any capacity.
The BBC has begun removing some programmes featuring Walliams from its platforms, including episodes of Little Britain, while it reviews all related material. The UK Labour Party has suspended his membership. Scotland Yard has said it is aware of the claims and will assess any reports it receives.
Walliams’ lawyers told the publications that he never engaged in grooming, denied sexual contact with the woman identified as Jade, and said he believed Alex was 18 when contact resumed. They rejected suggestions of criminal conduct or abuse of power.
The High Court had heard arguments that Walliams was at risk of suicide if the allegations were published. He remains under psychiatric care. The judge dismissed the application for anonymity, allowing the reports to appear.
Several organisations have already begun distancing themselves from Walliams. A theme park attraction based on his books has closed, and further professional consequences are expected as the claims continue to circulate.
Walliams has not posted on social media since the earlier HarperCollins decision. The full accounts from the women, along with his detailed denials, are contained in the Guardian and ITV investigations.
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