Multiple women have accused David Walliams of sexually inappropriate behaviour and grooming, including when they were teenagers. Walliams was named in a joint ITV News and Guardian investigation on Tuesday as the celebrity who sought a High Court injunction to prevent the allegations about him from being published.
The comedian and children's author, 55, is alleged to have abused his power and status to contact young women and try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities”. Walliams denies all the claims but admits he “at times behaved thoughtlessly” towards people with whom he was involved in casual sexual relationships.
Legal action and publication
Walliams had brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN), which produces news programmes for ITV, Channel 4, Good Morning Britain and Channel 5, and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian, to stop them publishing details of a joint investigation. After that bid failed, details of the allegations were published by the two news organisations.
The allegations include claims that several teenage girls and young women have accused Walliams of preying on them in allegations dating back to 2003. One woman described an encounter with Walliams at 15 years old as a “sexual assault.” Another said that Walliams began contacting her when she was 15, after meeting her at a Little Britain fan event, before starting a sexual relationship with her at 17.
Details of the allegations
Walliams is accused of “persistently” contacting a production agency for contact details of a young woman he wanted to meet. Several women have said that Walliams used social media platforms to initiate private contact, sending direct messages to teenage girls, and moving conversations towards sexual or intimate interactions.
A number of women allege he used his position as a judge on Britain's Got Talent (BGT) to contact young female fans privately, invite them to his dressing room or home, and make unwanted advances. One employee said that he saw very young female guests in Walliams' dressing room while Walliams was wearing only a towel. Another employee said they received £300 from Walliams as a thank-you gift, which a senior colleague called “hush money”.
Workplace allegations
Former HarperCollins employees allege that Walliams sent inappropriate messages to junior female staff. One employee says she raised concerns with management and HR about messages sent to a young colleague, but nothing happened. Staff reportedly changed working arrangements to ensure young female employees did not visit Walliams' home alone.
Walliams admits to having a sexual relationship with a junior employee who was an intern in 2017, which she subsequently described as consensual but an abuse of power. Walliams' lawyers and representatives have been contacted for comment.
In response to this investigation, the Guardian said Walliams sent a letter to reporters working on the investigation saying: “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.”
Career and previous controversies
Walliams rose to fame for his comedic partnership with Matt Lucas, with whom he co-created the BBC sketch show Little Britain. He was a judge on the television talent competition BGT between 2012 and 2022, and has had huge success as a children's author, having sold more than 50 million copies.
His career has also been dogged by controversy, with numerous allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual misconduct. He left BGT amid reports that he had made sexually explicit and derogatory remarks about contestants. This led to a legal dispute that was settled in 2023. HarperCollins ended their publishing contract with Walliams in 2025 following an internal investigation into his alleged inappropriate behaviour and harassment towards junior female staff. He denied the claims, saying he had "never been informed of any allegations raised against him” or been asked to cooperate with the HarperCollins investigation.
