Abby Tomlinson, a senior aide to Andy Burnham and the prime minister's deputy digital communications chief, has said David Walliams invited her into his dressing room on Britain's Got Talent when she was 17.
Speaking to the Guardian and an ITV documentary, Tomlinson said she received a message from the TV star on Twitter, now X, in 2015 inviting her to a Britain's Got Talent live show. A fan of the show, she took a friend, then 13, and they were shown backstage to his dressing room, where, it is claimed, there were two other girls, aged 16 and 17.
Allegations of Misconduct
Walliams' lawyers have previously denied he was alone with the girls, according to the documentary. Tomlinson told the titles: "It was absolutely the case, the door was shut and we were alone with him." She added: "He's the sort of person who had obviously a lot of access to young women, teenage girls."
Walliams' lawyers say this claim is misleading, according to the newspaper and the ITV documentary. A picture shows Tomlinson sitting at the judges' desk with Walliams.
Tomlinson raised concerns about Walliams on social media in 2020, according to the documentary. She was said to have written: "Just thinking about how a certain national treasure comedian invited me to meet him when I was 17, started liking my Instagrams when I turned 18, then DM'd me 'looking good x' when I was 19."
Investigation Findings
A three-year joint investigation by ITV News and The Guardian has uncovered multiple allegations of sexual misconduct involving the comedian and author, spanning more than two decades. Walliams denies any wrongdoing.
ITV has released a documentary, David Walliams: Power & Silence, due to air tonight at 10.50pm and already available on YouTube and ITVX. The hour-long documentary details several allegations against Walliams, including a woman who described an encounter with him when she was 15 as 'sexual assault.' Several other women have accused him of 'grooming' them when they were teenagers, according to the investigation.
One woman alleged that Walliams began contacting her when she was 15, after meeting him at a Little Britain fan event, before beginning a sexual relationship with her when she was 17, ITV News reported. Walliams has also faced allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment during his time on Britain's Got Talent and in his dealings with publisher HarperCollins.
Police Statement and Walliams' Response
The Metropolitan Police issued a statement saying the force was 'aware' of media reports 'in relation to allegations involving a man in his 50s.' A spokesperson told Sky News: "The Met has not received any related reports of sexual assault or any other offences. Should we receive any reports, they will be carefully assessed. Anyone who contacts the police will be supported by specialist officers."
The statement added: "Last week, we contacted the media organisations that were involved in civil proceedings relating to the protection of the identity of that individual, to ensure that any potential victims who they have spoken to could be made aware of how they could report any criminal allegations to police."
Walliams has admitted behaving 'thoughtlessly' but insisted he was not a 'sexual predator' and that he had not broken the law. In a letter understood to have been sent several months ago by Walliams to journalists working on the ITV News and Guardian investigations, he wrote: "Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with. I realise I did not always take people's feelings properly into account. That is something I regret. And 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: "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." He has yet to respond following the publication of his name on Tuesday.
