Britain’s Got Talent bosses investigated David Walliams’ conduct after learning that he had invited teenage girls into his dressing room six years earlier, but concluded they had found no “smoking gun” that would justify dismissing him.
Executives launched the inquiry after journalists and social media posts raised claims that Walliams, then a judge on the ITV family show, had behaved inappropriately at Fountain Studios in Wembley. They examined who he had invited backstage.
However, sources close to BGT said there was “no way” to establish whether the people listed as his family and friends were individuals he had met through MySpace or other social media platforms. As a result, investigators said they found no evidence of wrongdoing.
The development comes as Walliams, who has been accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl and preying on several teenagers, was named today as the celebrity who sought an injunction to prevent the allegations from being published. He argued in court that he would take his own life if they became public.
Sources said no formal complaints had been submitted to Fremantle, the production company behind BGT, or SyCo Entertainment, the now-defunct firm founded by Simon Cowell that produced his television programmes.
They added that Walliams’ personal assistant placed the young women on the guest list at his request. For several years, representatives maintained that his dressing-room door had always been left open while the girls were given cupcakes and soft drinks.
But one woman, named Abby, told ITV’s documentary David Walliams: Power and Silence that she and three other teenagers had been alone in his dressing room with the door closed.
It can also be revealed that BGT creator and judge Cowell, 67, has not spoken to Walliams since 2022, when the comedian made his final appearance on the talent show after joining the judging panel in 2012.
Britain’s Got Talent bosses investigated David Walliams’ conduct after learning he had invited teenage girls into his dressing room six years earlier
BGT sources said there was “no way” to determine whether people on Walliams’ family and friends list were contacts he had met through MySpace or other social media platforms, meaning investigators found no evidence of wrongdoing
Walliams, 55, was removed from the programme shortly afterwards after he was recorded making offensive remarks about contestants during auditions at the London Palladium.
A source from the show said: “Around 2020, BGT bosses looked into the claims they had heard. No young women had made formal complaints; the inquiry began after executives were shown social media posts and contacted by journalists.
“At that stage, they decided to examine the allegations. Because there were no formal complaints, it was handled informally and no outside company was brought in to investigate.
“No evidence was found. The girls would have appeared on the friends and family list, so nobody knew who they were.”
Meanwhile, Cowell is said to have distanced himself from Walliams four years ago after becoming concerned that his fellow BGT judge was “not a good person”.
The pair had been known for their mock flirtation and light-hearted exchanges as the programme’s two male judges.
“Simon hasn’t had anything to do with David for a long time now and he never will again,” a friend of the music and television mogul said. “He is pleased that David left BGT and that the show has moved forward without him.”
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Walliams is accused of using his status from Little Britain and Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities” with “a large number” of young women and girls.
Simon Cowell is said to have distanced himself from Walliams four years ago after becoming concerned that his fellow BGT judge was “not a good person”
Walliams denies any wrongdoing. He told the High Court that he would kill himself if his identity was disclosed. The court development came 24 hours after his friend Russell Brand was jailed for ten-and-a-half years for rape.
Downing Street said this afternoon that allegations of sexual misconduct made by multiple women were “deeply troubling” and that the Government was “concerned” about the use of injunctions. Labour later suspended Walliams as a party member.
I’m Katie Hind, and when you hear my stories about Walliams, you’ll understand why I’m relieved he has been exposed.
In 2015, Walliams befriended a young fan who admired him. A year later, she received a disturbing letter from his celebrity law firm. The effect on her was apparent in her trembling hands and haunted expression. Now I can tell her full, deeply uncomfortable story.
Here, I share one victim’s experience
One accuser, identified as Jade by ITV News and The Guardian, alleges that Walliams sexually assaulted her when she was 15 after contacting her online.
Jade said they met in Soho before Walliams drove her to his home in an Aston Martin. She alleges that he sexually assaulted her at Supernova Heights, the mansion once owned by Oasis star Noel Gallagher.
“He asked me to come over and gave me a hug. That’s when he kissed me,” Jade alleged of Walliams, who was 36 at the time.
“He lifted my top and sucked on my breast, then tried to put my hand down his trousers. That’s when I pulled away and said, ‘No’. He had an erection at the time,” she said.
“I wasn’t ready for sex. I didn’t want to do that, with him or with anyone. I didn’t want to be touched in that way at all. I mean, I was only 15. It’s a sexual assault. It’s grooming. It’s completely wrong in every way.”
In a statement to ITV News and The Guardian, Walliams said: “Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards people with whom I had casual sexual relationships. I understand that I did not always properly consider their feelings. That is something I regret.
“Although a power imbalance is inevitable when one person is famous, abusing that power is something entirely different—and it is something 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 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”