Comedian Lucy Beaumont has revealed she was among those who came forward in the investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming against David Walliams. The 43-year-old TV star said the industry needed better procedures for raising safeguarding issues and explained she had been 'really worried' that one of his alleged victims was going to 'take her own life'.
Concerns raised after dressing room claims
Beaumont said she raised concerns about Walliams after being told he was hosting teenage girls in his dressing room while working on a TV show, making her 'really worried' about whether he had behaved inappropriately.
The best-selling author and former Britain's Got Talent judge, 55, was named as part of a three-year investigation by The Guardian and ITV News on Tuesday, after he tried to obtain an injunction to prevent the reporting of allegations against him, which included claims he had abused his celebrity status to exploit teenagers, with some of his accusers as young as 15.
A judge refused the application for a permanent injunction last week, a decision that Walliams did not appeal. He denies any wrongdoing, saying he 'behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with' and adding: 'I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law.'
Beaumont's account of the young person's disclosure
Beaumont said she had come forward publicly about her whistleblowing role because she 'wants to protect young women' in the TV industry – despite fearing it could cost her her career.
'I don't know Walliams, I haven't worked with him but, bizarrely, it's been a really strange day for me because, about three years ago, a young person – and it was their first job on TV – worked on a show he was on and the next show that they worked on was with me,' she told Sky News' The Cathy Newman Show on Tuesday night. 'They took me aside and said, "I need to tell somebody something" and confided in me. Some of (Walliams') conduct that they were really worried about.'
Beaumont said the young person told her they had to 'take young girls' who were 'definitely' over 16 to Walliams' dressing room, adding: 'He felt they were vulnerable.' She explained: 'At the time, he didn't think there was a process, a way to let people know within the TV company what was happening and how he felt, and I was really worried.'
Impact on career and industry duty of care
The Hull-born star continued: 'I did as much as I could do privately. 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. Nothing seems to be illegal. But I was really worried, and I was one of the whistleblowers. I was one of the people to let The Guardian know.'
Speaking about the TV industry, she noted that a major issue was there was 'no proper duty of care'. 'There's no social services that you deal with and it's partly because the industry is very well-managed.' She added: 'These things slip through the net because, I think there will be now, but there hasn't been a process that you can deal with.'
Beaumont said she had never worked with Walliams or witnessed any inappropriate behaviour from him but was 'worried that these girls were young'. The comic said she reached out to an alleged victim who was 'in a really bad way' and was worried about her well-being but said the woman 'declined my offer of support'. She said she did not know if the allegations were true but had wanted to help.
Beaumont, who appeared on Celebrity Traitors last year, also admitted she believed speaking out about her concerns would likely cost her TV work. 'The reason I'm speaking out about this when I know everyone I know knows this, and I don't hear anybody talking about it. And honestly, I don't think I'll work in telly again. I honestly don't. The reason high-profile people are not saying anything is because they lose work, because you're seen that you might be a trouble causer.' But she maintained that 'it does need to be said that there needs to be some intervention'.
Beaumont started her career as a comedian in 2009 and is a vocal critic of misogyny, sexism, and inappropriate male behaviour on the UK comedy circuit and has also spoken about the impact this had on her career. She has previously discussed 'predatory' male behaviour in her industry and said people did not believe the women who were speaking up.
The Guardian and ITV News spoke with 30 people who described alleged instances of sexual misconduct and harassment in the workplace from Walliams. One woman claimed she was as young as 15 when Walliams kissed her and 'sucked on her breast'. Walliams agreed to stop after she pulled away, telling her, 'we should wait until I'm 16, and then said to keep in contact,' she told The Guardian. Another woman told ITV News she met Walliams when she was 15 and had sex with him when she was 17.
Metro has contacted representatives for David Walliams for further comment.
