A 2009 interview in which David Walliams described Russell Brand as a "sex messiah" has been recalled as "sinister" following Brand's conviction for rape and sexual assault. Brand was jailed for 10 years and six months last week.
Since the sentencing, several comedians have spoken about the 51-year-old's behaviour, describing his abuse as an "open secret" within the entertainment industry. Times journalist Robert Crampton, who conducted the interview with Walliams in 2009, has now reflected on the exchange with the Little Britain star.
Walliams' comments about Brand
During the interview, Walliams said of Brand: "He is a different kettle of fish. Going for nights out with him, girls swarming towards him, it's like he's some sort of sex messiah."
Walliams added: "I was in a nightclub with him and he was snogging one girl and he just stopped and started snogging another and I was like, 'What about [the first girl's] feelings?'"
Crampton, speaking in a clip shared by the Times earlier this week, said of the interview: "We talked about his (Walliams') relationship with women, and his friend Russell Brand. Walliams described Brand as a 'sex messiah'... by the standards of the time, that remark counts as solicitous. But the standards were, as we can all see now, shockingly low."
Allegations against Walliams
ITV and the Guardian released a fresh documentary on Walliams this week, detailing allegations that he preyed on girls as young as 15. Walliams has denied all of the allegations made against him, reports the Express.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they've opened a criminal probe into David Walliams over alleged serious sexual offences. These claims are separate to those detailed in the ITV and Guardian probe. The fresh allegations reported to officers are understood to have been made by multiple individuals, according to The Guardian.
Walliams' response
After the ITV and Guardian investigation was published, Walliams 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."
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."
