Newsletters
British comedian and children's author David Walliams has been accused of grooming girls as young as 15 and using his celebrity status to pursue young women, following a court ruling that cleared the way for a joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News to be published.
The 55-year-old, best known for the comedy series "Little Britain" and his former role as a judge on "Britain's Got Talent," denies all allegations of grooming, sexual offences and abuse of his professional influence.
The investigation, published Tuesday after three years of reporting, drew on accounts from 30 sources with first-hand knowledge, alongside messages, photographs, emails and other records.
Two women, identified as Jade and Alex to protect their identities, alleged that Walliams first contacted them when they were teenagers.
Jade said Walliams approached her through MySpace in 2007, when she was 15 and he was 36. She alleged that he subsequently arranged to meet her in London, took her to his home and initiated sexual contact, which stopped when she objected.
She said Walliams suggested they remain in contact until she turned 16. Jade now considers the alleged encounter to have involved sexual assault and grooming, a process in which someone builds trust or influence to facilitate sexual exploitation.
Walliams' lawyers denied that any sexual contact occurred and rejected the allegations of grooming and criminal wrongdoing.
Alex said she met Walliams at a "Little Britain" fan event in 2004, when she was also 15. After receiving scripts from the aspiring comedy writer, Walliams allegedly contacted her and offered encouragement and possible work experience.
According to Alex, their correspondence became sexual when she was 17, and they later had consensual sex. She now believes Walliams groomed her by taking advantage of their age difference and his influence over her career ambitions.
His lawyers maintained that he initially contacted Alex to support her writing and believed she was 18 when their relationship became sexual. They denied that he groomed her or knowingly sought sexual photographs from a minor.
The investigation also raised concerns about Walliams' conduct during his decade as a judge on "Britain's Got Talent," the British television competition.
Former production employees alleged that he sent personal messages to junior female staff and made inappropriate remarks, while other sources questioned interactions with teenage fans invited into his dressing room.
Walliams denied workplace harassment. Production companies Fremantle and Syco said they had received no complaints about him, while broadcaster ITV said it had been unaware of the allegations.
Separate concerns emerged involving HarperCollins, his former publisher, which stopped commissioning new books from him in December 2025 and subsequently ended publication of his existing catalogue. Walliams denied allegations concerning his conduct toward employees.
In his response to the investigation, Walliams acknowledged occasionally behaving thoughtlessly in casual relationships but rejected claims that he had exploited differences in power or status.
"I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law," he said.
The investigation became public after Walliams failed to appeal a Nov. 3 High Court ruling rejecting his request for an injunction, a legal order that would have prevented the Guardian and ITV News from publishing the allegations.
His lawyers argued that publication posed a serious risk to his life, telling the court that he had attempted suicide twice after being approached about the investigation and was receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment.
Justice Matthew Nicklin acknowledged Walliams' serious psychiatric vulnerability and the potential for publication to increase the risk of self-harm. However, he found that the proposed restriction could continue indefinitely and would impose an exceptionally serious limit on freedom of expression.
The judge stressed that the court had not determined whether the allegations were true and that refusing the injunction did not amount to endorsing the investigation's findings.
Walliams did not challenge the ruling before Monday's deadline, allowing the news organizations to identify him and publish their reporting.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
