Comedian Lucy Beaumont has said she fears she will never work in television again after revealing herself as a whistleblower in the investigation into David Walliams.
Beaumont became emotional during an appearance on Sky News as she disclosed she had approached The Guardian with information ahead of its joint investigation with ITV News, which reported the allegations. On Tuesday, Walliams was named as the famous man who lost his bid for an injunction to prevent the publication of allegations, including purported sexual misconduct, against him.
Career fears
Speaking to journalist Cathy Newman, Beaumont said speaking out about the allegations against the former Britain's Got Talent judge could jeopardise her career. She said: "Honestly, I don't think I'll work in telly again. I really don't."
"The reason high-profile people are not saying anything is because they'll lose work, because you're seen as a trouble-causer," she added.
Multiple women have accused Walliams of "grooming" them when they were teenagers. Walliams, 55, has denied any wrongdoing.
Whistleblower account
The 43-year-old said she was approached by a male television worker who claimed his job involved taking "young girls" who were "definitely" over 16 to Walliams' dressing room. Beaumont said on Sky: "I did as much as I could do privately and whenever I've heard a rumour about anyone, I've done everything I can."
"There's only so much you can do. I'm not the police," she continued. "But I was really worried, and I was one of the whistleblowers."
She added: "I was worried that these girls were young. What I did was I then tried to contact some of them to check and to ask if they were all right." Beaumont also noted that she never worked with Walliams or witnessed any of the alleged behaviour.
Walliams' response
Walliams has refuted claims of exploiting his celebrity status in relationships with women but acknowledged he had "behaved thoughtlessly". In a statement issued to The Guardian and ITV News, the comedian said: "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.."I am not a sexual predator...I have not broken the law...I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me."
