David Walliams has worsened his position by spending several years and considerable sums of money trying to legally prevent allegations of grooming, predatory behaviour and sexual misconduct from becoming public, according to a PR expert.
The TV star and author has denied all claims made against him, stating: “I am not a sexual predator - I have not broken the law.”
Rumours that he regularly invited young girls back to his dressing room on Britain's Got Talent have circulated for some time, with previous reports suggesting his habit caused “deep concern” for ITV show bosses. New allegations claim that Walliams, 55, abused his position by making regular sexual advances towards teenage girls as young as 15.
Expert criticises legal strategy
PR expert Mark Borkowski said the entertainer fuelled intrigue by fighting for several years to stop ITV News and The Guardian from publishing. “We’re all net curtain twitchers aren’t we? Once it’s out there you can deal with it but you’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to know how to deal with and manage that story.”
Borkowski said the new allegations were serious but would not necessarily lead to a police investigation. “He’s definitely made it worse by trying to hide it - it was always going to come out sooner or later. There are other routes you can go down to help yourself. There are experts that can help.”
Suggesting a clinic would have been a better use of the Little Britain star's funds, he added: “He needed to lock himself away and get the help he needed, not pay massive legal bills for years to try and hold something back.”
Legal bid and suicide risk warning
Walliams, a divorced father of one, attempted to block publication of the sexual misconduct claims by filing a legal bid in the High Court for a permanent injunction against The Guardian and ITV, which failed. His lawyers claimed publication made it “highly likely” he would attempt to take his own life, having made two suicide attempts already this year.
Borkowski warned that he believes the suicide risk for Walliams is real, comparing him to Jason Arday, the British sociologist who took his own life after being accused of plagiarism. “I would think he is very vulnerable and we do have to wonder if we did learn anything from Jason Arday? He’s vilified and how does he escape from that? Who’s around him? Because everyone drops you like nuclear waste when this type of stuff happens.”
“I’ve seen people right on the edge, thinking it’s just hopeless. They can’t go out without being abused and it eats away at you.”
Timing and industry reaction
Borkowski said the timing of the allegations, coming straight after culture secretary Lisa Nandy said there needed to be greater scrutiny on the entertainment industry, was particularly unfortunate for Walliams. “Coming after Russell Brand was revealed to be a rapist, the timing of this story couldn’t have landed at a worse time. It reflects on him. Everybody’s got blood in their nostrils now looking for another one.”
At the weekend, Nandy said she thought there was still a problem in the industry when it came to women feeling able to report men for sexual assaults. “Hand on heart, I can’t say to you, as the culture secretary, that this is not happening today,” she told the BBC. “In fact, if I had to wager, I would say it is.” She said “time is up” for organisations to bring in systems to protect whistleblowers, and while the BBC had made steps in the right direction in recent years, others had yet to take the problem seriously.
Britain's Got Talent production company Fremantle UK said it is “disturbed and concerned” by allegations made against the former judge, who was dropped in 2022 over inappropriate language used towards some contestants. The company said that during his time on the show and in the intervening period, “no complaint was ever made regarding his behaviour to Fremantle UK”.
Walliams has been dropped by his literary agents, Independent Talent Group. A spokesperson said: “ITG is deeply disturbed by the allegations concerning David Walliams. Our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected. We are no longer representing him in any capacity.”
A Met Police spokesperson said: “We’re aware of reports in the media in relation to allegations involving a man in his 50s. 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. 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.”
