1 hour ago
3
For much than 3 years, ITV News and The Guardian person been investigating comedian and writer David Walliams, uncovering allegations from aggregate women who allege helium utilized his powerfulness and personage presumption to prey connected them for intersexual purposes erstwhile they were teenagers.
Here’s what we learned from David Walliams: Power and Silence.
Two women allege Walliams pursued them erstwhile they were 15.
“Alex" (whose sanction has been changed) met Walliams successful 2004 astatine a Little Britain publication signing erstwhile she was 15, and helium was 32. She recalled the gathering was intense, and helium called her “very attractive,” earlier she gave him her details successful the hopes of moving successful the industry. Days later, helium phoned her, offering to get her enactment acquisition with him and giving her his email address. In autumn of that aforesaid year, erstwhile Alex was 17, they spoke connected the phone, and she recalled the code had turned sexual. Eventually, Walliams allegedly began asking her to nonstop bare photos, thing she hadn’t done before. She stated she could consciousness the imbalance astatine that point. Walliams said helium doesn’t callback oregon judge helium asked her to nonstop specified pictures of herself, and that helium believed she was 18 astatine the time.
Almost 2 years later, they met successful idiosyncratic astatine Walliams’ house. She recalls that they had enactment and helium didn’t usage a condom, and the full script felt “very pushy,” thing which Walliams denied. Alex received tickets and backstage passes to Little Britain shows, and says she had consensual enactment with him 3 times astatine his location erstwhile she was 17 and 18. After she distanced herself from him, she alleges Walliams continued to prosecute her for enactment for 2 years.
Another pistillate – “Jade” – recalled gathering Walliams successful 2007; she was 15, and helium was 36. She says helium reached retired to her via a dm connected MySpace, wherever her property was visible. He asked for her fig and called her wrong 10 minutes, earlier moving to email. It was the aforesaid email code that communicated with Alex.
Jade and Walliams agreed to conscionable successful idiosyncratic astatine a bar, and kissed her successful a adjacent alleyway, earlier inviting her to his house. At his house, she says, “he lifted my apical up and sucked connected my bosom and past tried to enactment my manus down his trousers” portion helium had an erection. She stopped his advances and said no, to which helium responded that they should hold until she was 16, and to support successful contact. She didn’t spot him again, but states the interaction of the acquisition has stayed with her for 19 years. Walliams denies helium had immoderate intersexual enactment with Jade and says helium has ne'er engaged successful the grooming of young women.
Two young models described however Walliams pursued them aft getting their interaction details done manufacture connections.
Lilly Creightmore, who chose to waive her anonymity, met Walliams erstwhile she was 18 and helium was 31. After seeing her astatine a Little Britain signaling and past modelling successful a show, Walliams contacted the accumulation institution for her details. He sent her a paper saying helium was “enraptured” by her, and asked to instrumentality her out. She stayed astatine his location for a play of time, wherever she said helium pleaded with her to slumber with him, but she said nary galore times. They stayed successful interaction for 5 years, during which helium promised to usage his connections to assistance her career. Lilly alleges that helium “plied her with gifts” earlier “disregarding” her. Walliams denies acting inappropriately oregon that his offers were made to groom oregon coerce her into sleeping with him.
“Ella,” who was besides a model, met Walliams successful 2007; she was 19, and helium was 36. This was the twelvemonth earlier helium began publishing children’s books. After seeing her successful a magazine, helium got her fig from her agent, leaving her a voicemail asking her out. He past sent flowers and a paper to her location earlier inviting her to an event. She recalls that there, 1 pistillate pulled her aside, noting that she was precise young, and warned her to beryllium careful. While successful his bedroom, Ella said Walliams approached her for a kiss, but she ducked and ran away.
She says his pursuit didn’t halt there; she recalls that helium sat adjacent to her, enactment his look successful her lap, and begged her to stay. Walliams describes “making a clumsy pass” astatine Ella, but denies putting his caput successful her lap. He claims helium had nary volition of intimidating oregon making her consciousness uncomfortable.
Teenage girls were reportedly invited backstage during his clip connected Britain's Got Talent.
Abby met Walliams successful 2015 erstwhile she was 17, with her friend, who was 13. He was 43. Abby claims that she and 3 different teenage girls were near unsocial with him successful his dressing room, thing Walliams’ lawyers person antecedently denied. Abby shared her experiences, which included continued interaction via DMs, connected societal media successful 2020. Walliams lawyers assertion helium hosted guests of each ages and backgrounds backstage.
“Sarah” was a instrumentality of Walliams successful 2016. She was 18; helium was 44. She was invited to a BGT filming via a person who emailed Walliams. Hours aft filming, Walliams messaged Sarah connected societal media, inviting her backmost the pursuing day, earlier suggesting they support successful contact. When she told him she was considering studying successful London, helium invited her to enactment astatine his home; she agreed connected the information that a person travel with her. During the trip, Walliams booked a spa for them and bought her favourite wine.
While astatine his home, she alleges helium began stroking her limb earlier pursuing her into the hallway and trying to buss her. She rejected his advance, telling him she had a fellow and realising she had drunk excessively much. She and her person slept connected a antithetic level from Walliams. Walliams does not callback anyone being drunk and denies intersexual contact.
A instrumentality received a ineligible informing aft their person allegedly went to his home.
In the weeks that followed the meeting, Walliams messaged her friend, asking if Sarah was funny successful him; she had stopped each contact. Eight months later, the person received a missive from Walliams’ lawyers, stating that if she disclosed backstage information, helium would beryllium entitled to contented a ineligible assertion against her. Walliams says claims that helium targeted teenage women and utilized his personage presumption to manipulate them into having enactment with him are false.
Former Britain's Got Talent employees noticed Walliams’ concerning behaviour towards young women.
“Amy” worked connected Britain's Got Talent successful 2017. She was 24; Walliams was 45. She claims that helium referred to her arsenic “the arse” alternatively of by her name, and recalls him staring astatine her chest; helium denies it. Walliams rejects allegations that helium behaved inappropriately oregon harassed women connected the programme.
The investigation, however, spoke to aggregate erstwhile BGT unit members, who besides told them that they thought his behaviour toward young pistillate employees was inappropriate. According to 1 erstwhile runner, “Mark”, determination was “a wide consciousness that David did what helium wanted” and “there was thing intersexual astir however helium behaved that was uncomfortable.” Mark recalled 1 lawsuit wherever helium was called to Walliams’ dressing room, wherever helium was wearing a towel, portion 2 young guests were successful the room. After filming, “Mark” received £300 arsenic a acquisition from Walliams.
In 2022, Walliams near Britain's Got Talent aft details of recordings of him making derogatory and sexually explicit remarks astir contestants were leaked. He apologised for making the disrespectful remarks, saying they were “private conversations.”
Concerns were besides raised astatine HarperCollins, wherever Walliams was 1 of the publisher's biggest authors.
Despite the controversy, Walliams has sold much than 26 cardinal books successful the UK, making £156 cardinal successful sales. “Katie” worked astatine HarperCollins UK successful 2015 and says she raised concerns astir Walliams with HR aft a inferior unit subordinate confided successful her. She states that the messages the unit subordinate received from Walliams were “gross” and “inappropriate.” Katie raised the contented with 2 antithetic departments, but says thing was done. Walliams admits contacting the pistillate and asking her to meet, saying that astatine the clip helium was “heartbroken” and “lonely” aft his divorce.
While it was communal signifier for the publishing location to nonstop interns and assistants to authors’ houses to cod work, they wouldn’t nonstop them to Walliams’ location alone. Despite this, an intern was sent to his location alone. They subsequently had a intersexual relationship, which, portion she states was consensual, she aboriginal considered it an maltreatment of power. Walliams maintains that helium didn’t behave appropriately towards women astatine HarperCollins.
HarperCollins UK launched an interior investigation, and a pistillate reportedly received a five-figure settlement.
In 2023, HarperCollins started an interior probe into Walliams’ conduct. Multiple radical the documentary spoke to confirmed that 1 pistillate was paid a five-figure sum and signed a separation agreement. In 2025, Walliams’ declaration wasn’t renewed, and the steadfast said they wouldn’t beryllium publishing immoderate much of his titles.
David Walliams denies abusing his fame oregon presumption of power.
In effect to the investigation, David Walliams stated, “Looking back, I realise that astatine times I behaved thoughtlessly towards different radical I had casual intersexual relationships with…
“I realise I did not ever instrumentality people’s feelings decently into account. That is thing I regret. And whilst a powerfulness imbalance is inevitable erstwhile 1 enactment is famous, abusing that powerfulness is thing other wholly and it is thing I ne'er did…
“I americium not a intersexual predator…
“I person not breached the law…
“I americium devastated that immoderate of the women I met 10 to 20 years agone person present expressed wounded oregon choler towards me.”
The companies down Britain's Got Talent accidental they were unaware of complaints oregon allegations.
ITV News and the Guardian besides reached retired to the organisations referred to successful the documentary. Fremantle (who produced Britain’s Got Talent) said: “During his clip connected the amusement – and successful the 4 years since – nary ailment has ever been made – either to Fremantle UK, the broadcaster, oregon the regulator… regarding his behaviour.
“Nevertheless, if anyone feels they person been taxable of immoderate impropriety oregon wrongdoing by anyone, we promote them to travel forward.”
Syco Entertaintment, which created the show, stated they “had nary cognition of the allegations described and was not made alert of them astatine the time.”
English (US) ·