Vanessa Feltz has described David Walliams as "coldly dispassionate" and "unfriendly" during her time working with him and Matt Lucas on the set of Little Britain.
The presenter appeared in a famous sketch alongside one of Matt's characters, weight-loss group leader Marjorie Dawes. While filming the scene, the 64-year-old claims David was detached when discussing how Matt was going to spit in her face as part of the script. She also said he did not make her feel welcome, while Matt was much friendlier.
Allegations Against David Walliams
Speaking on her At Home With Vanessa podcast with guest Tom Swarbrick, the pair began by discussing allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming against David, which came to light in a joint three-year ITV News and Guardian investigation. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Opening up about working with the former Britain's Got Talent judge on the show, Vanessa shared: "I was on Little Britain and that was the famous Marjorie Dawes sketch, where Matt Lucas had to spit in my face."
"And of course he didn't literally spit in my face, there was endless discussion about how the spitting was going to occur and what exactly was going to happen, most of it orchestrated by a fairly chilling David Walliams," she added. "He was extremely coldly dispassionate about the idea that Matt Lucas was going to spit actual spittle, saliva, right in my face and how was this going to occur."
Matt Lucas's Consideration
Vanessa said that, in the end, they opted to put a plastic layer over her face to protect her, at Matt's request.
"I certainly sensed at the time that David Walliams wasn't the one who was being considerate of how I would feel about being spat upon, it was Matt Lucas who was making sure that it wasn't my actual face and David Walliams who was really forensic about saying, 'It had to be real spit, it couldn't be just some glue that looked like spit, it couldn't be simulated, it had to be real, you had to see the saliva'. I remember this so clearly."
Asked how she felt about it at the time, the podcast host said she wanted to be "a good sport" on the show she once loved. Reflecting on Matt's support during the scene, she continued: "I was eternally grateful to him and I still am."
"Walliams was much colder and much less interested in protecting me and, actually, much less interested in being friendly or welcoming me or, you know, making me feel like I was a part of the team for a very short time or anything like that," she added. "That wasn't his thing, he certainly, I don't think was abundant in social skills. He was extremely, I would say, unfriendly and I thought [stand off-ish]."
She went on to say that, having been "caught up in the technical details and the pressure of doing the show", she tried not to take his alleged cold behaviour personally.
David Walliams's Response
David denies all the allegations made against him. In response to the allegations, he says that looking back he realised that at times he "behaved thoughtlessly".
He continued: "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."
Express.co.uk has contacted a representative for David for comment.
