David Walliams is facing fresh allegations that he plucked a young model from the Britain's Got Talent audience and pursued her for sex for years. The comedian, 55, has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, including allegations of preying on teenage girls. He has denied all wrongdoing.
One woman alleged that she was "sexually assaulted" by Walliams when she was 15, while several women accused him of "grooming" them when they were teenagers. Now, a woman known as Louisa has claimed he acted like a "monster" after plucking her from the audience at BGT.
Alleged Encounter at BGT Auditions
She said he wore a towel in front of her backstage, asked her for sexual photos and "used" her for two years, growing "cruel" when she didn't comply. Louisa told The Sun that BGT production staff picked her, then 24, out of the queue to sit near the front during auditions in Birmingham in February 2015. She said she was then moved again to the front row, leaving her dad at the back of the auditorium.
She claimed Walliams "clocked" her as soon as he came out with judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden and was "smiling and trying to catch my eye", before turning around and throwing her a sweet.
After the show, a producer told Louisa she could return the next day to film a sketch with them for the spin-off show, Britain's Got More Talent, and later that night, Walliams rang her to ask if she could fill in for one of their models, The Sun reported. She met presenter Stephen Mulhern, dancing dog Pudsey and the dance group Diversity and was taken into her own dressing room.
Claims of Pressure and Harassment
"Walliams appeared [there] naked apart from a towel. He claimed his shower was broken," Louisa said. "I was intimidated and uncomfortable but didn't know what to do or say. I was timid, on my own, and thought naively this is what happens in the world of TV.
"David stood there chatting and being very flirty. Looking back I think he was hoping I'd make a move on him there and then. I was appalled and freaked out."
Louisa said she was asked to bring "provocative clothing" and posed in a crop top and hotpants in the sketch while Walliams was dressed as a dog. She had to lead him out on a leash, and sit on his lap, she claimed. After the encounter, Louisa said Walliams gave her jewellery and designer handbags and would FaceTime her and ask for "sexual pictures".
She eventually visited his London home with a friend, saying: "I was a masseuse and part-time model and he offered me a job there and then, saying I could work his body whenever he was stressed. It was sleazy, but I was caught up in it all. He made it obvious what he wanted from me."
Impact and Response
Louisa said he "grew impatient" when she "wasn't doing everything he wanted". "He was particularly cruel one night at the Hotel Du Vin in Birmingham. I wouldn't give him what he wanted and he called me boring, saying I reminded him of his wife because it was like we'd been married for years," she said. Walliams was married to supermodel Lara Stone from 2010 to 2015. Louisa cut ties with the entertainer after "two years of being used".
"I was in bits. I had to take anti-depressants. He doesn't realise what he's done to me. Everybody hailed David. But the reality is, he's a bit of a monster," she said.
Fremantle, the production company behind BGT, said: "We are disturbed and concerned at these serious allegations. During David's time on the show and in the intervening period, no complaint was ever made regarding his behaviour to Fremantle UK. If anyone feels they have been the subject of any impropriety or wrongdoing by anyone on any Fremantle or associated labels' productions, we encourage them to come forward."
The Standard has contacted Walliams' representative for comment. A number of women have alleged that Walliams used his position as a BGT judge to contact young female fans privately, invite them to his dressing room or home and make unwanted advances. One employee said he saw very young female guests in Walliams' dressing room while he was wearing only a towel.
Legal and Professional Repercussions
Walliams said in a statement: "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."
Walliams sought an injunction to prevent the allegations being published because of a risk that he would take his own life, following two previous suicide attempts, the court was told. In a judgment on Tuesday, November 3, Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the injunction bid. But Walliams could still not be named because he was granted the right to appeal the decision. However he missed the deadline on Monday to take his case to the Court of Appeal, leaving ITN and GNM free to publish his name in relation to their investigation.
Following the revelations, the BBC said they were in the process of removing some programmes, including Little Britain, from their platforms, whilst a review into all material featuring and written by Walliams was underway. He was dropped by his literary agency Independent Talent Group (ITG), who said: "ITG is deeply disturbed by the allegations concerning David Walliams. Our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected." Walliams also had his Labour Party membership suspended on Tuesday after the accusations against him emerged.
