David Walliams has been accused of giving £300 in alleged "hush money" to a junior staff member on Britain's Got Talent following an "uncomfortable" dressing room incident, according to an ITV documentary.
The claim was made by a staff member identified as "Mark," who worked with Walliams in 2017 as a judge runner during a week of live shows. He told ITV that he was called into the dressing room to do a task and found two young people there, with Walliams having just showered and wearing only a towel.
Allegations and Legal Action
The TV star was named in an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News on Tuesday after he lost his bid for an injunction to prevent reporting of allegations against him. Several women accuse Walliams of "grooming" them when they were teenagers, and of sexual misconduct. Walliams denies all allegations.
On Monday, the comedian missed a deadline to take his case to the Court of Appeal. He had brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian.
Staff Member's Account
"Mark" said that at the end of the series, judges often gave their runners a thank you gift. He described receiving an envelope from Walliams containing £300 and a signed card, which left him "surprised."
He said: "There was an envelope that I later opened that had £300 in, and, like, I signed card, and when I mentioned that in front of one of the production coordinators, so my senior production, she said, 'Oh, there's your hush money'."
Walliams denied he was buying Mark's silence and said there was nothing that needed covering up. He stated that he tipped staff every year and the amount given to Mark was no higher than normal, describing Mark's comments as a smear.
Walliams' Response
In a statement to the Guardian and ITV News, Walliams denied abusing his power as a celebrity in relationships with women but admitted he had "behaved thoughtlessly."
He 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."
