Comedian and bestselling children’s author David Walliams has been accused of using his celebrity and influence to target teenage girls and young women.
The former Britain’s Got Talent judge is at the center of a major investigation published by The Guardian on Nov. 10. Multiple women alleged that Walliams exploited “his power and position as a celebrity to prey on” them for “sexual purposes.”
Walliams has strongly denied the allegations.
Walliams had sought an injunction to stop The Guardian and ITV News from publishing the claims. However, Judge Matthew Nicklin rejected his request for a permanent injunction on Nov. 3, clearing the way for the outlets to report their findings, according to The New York Times.
His attorneys, who have denied any wrongdoing by their client, argued that publicly identifying him would make him “highly likely” to take his own life, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Looking back, I realize that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with,” Walliams said in a statement to The Guardian. “I realize 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.”
Walliams is not currently facing criminal charges related to the allegations.
Woman Says David Walliams Groomed Her After They Met When She Was 15
One woman, identified using the pseudonym Alex, said she was 15 when Walliams called her at home after meeting her at a fan event, where she had shared samples of her comedy writing.
“David Walliams phoned me!!” the teenager wrote in a journal entry at the time. “He said he thought my scripts are VERY FUNNY!”
Alex said they continued exchanging emails and speaking by phone for the next two years before beginning a sexual relationship when she was 17 and Walliams was 34. His attorneys have said he believed she was 18 at the time.
She alleged that Walliams did not use a condom during their first sexual encounter at his flat in northwest London. His attorneys denied the claim.
“I remember clocking it and feeling a bit like that’s not good but I was too young,” she told The Guardian. “I really don’t think I would have had the ability to get the words out at that point to say ‘don’t do that.’”
Alex said they had two additional sexual encounters, explaining that she generally left shortly afterward.
“I just hadn’t ever experienced anything like that before. It felt very … pushy,” she said. “I felt like a prostitute, essentially.”
The relationship ended after Alex said she declined to continue meeting him for sex. She now believes Walliams groomed her when she was younger.
“We met when I was 15 and he was promising to help me and was a figure of authority and someone that I looked to for guidance and help,” she said. “He used that power and abused that power the minute he felt he just about could and it was just about safe to.”
Walliams’ attorneys denied that he groomed Alex or acted “pushy” during their interactions.
Another Woman Says David Walliams Met Her as a Teen and Kissed Her at His Flat
Another woman, identified as Jade, told The Guardian she was 15 when Walliams allegedly contacted her through MySpace in 2007. After exchanging emails, the pair agreed to meet at an upscale grocery store.
“I think when you see someone on telly, you sort of feel like you know them,” Jade said of her excitement at the time. “You sort of feel—well, it’ll be fine, won’t it?”
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Jade alleged that Walliams asked whether she had ever had sex during their meeting, then kissed her on the street. She said he took her to his flat, where he kissed her again and sucked on her breast. His attorneys have denied that any sexual contact occurred between them.
“I wasn’t ready for sex,” she said. “I didn’t want to do that with him or with anyone. I was very uncomfortable with my own body as well.”
Although Walliams stopped, Jade said he told her they should “wait until I’m 16” and remain in contact.
David Walliams Accused of Inviting Teenage Girls to His Britain’s Got Talent Dressing Room
Other allegations concern women who were over 18 and say Walliams contacted them through social media or obtained their details after brief encounters at public events.
Walliams, who served as a Britain’s Got Talent judge for 10 years, was also accused of inviting teenage girls to his dressing room and messaging young female production assistants assigned to the program.
Abby Tomlinson told The Guardian she was 17 when Walliams invited her via Twitter to attend a taping of the show. She brought a 13-year-old friend and recalled spending time in his dressing room alongside two other teenage girls.
“The door was shut and we were alone with him,” Tomlinson told the outlet. “He’s the sort of person who had obviously a lot of access to young women, teenage girls.”
The show’s production companies, Fremantle and Syco, denied knowing that teenage girls had been invited to Walliams’ dressing room. In a statement to the BBC, Fremantle said it was “disturbed and concerned” by the allegations.
“During his time on the show and in the intervening period, no complaint was ever made regarding his behaviour to Fremantle UK,” the company said, adding that it would “treat any complaints seriously.”
Walliams’ attorneys said Tomlinson’s account was misleading and denied that he behaved inappropriately or harassed female runners working on the show.
HarperCollins Dropped David Walliams in 2025
Walliams was also accused of having a consensual sexual relationship with an intern at HarperCollins, where he became a bestselling children’s author known for books including Gangsta Granny, Mr. Stink and The Boy in the Dress.
According to The Guardian, another young colleague reported the matter to human resources after Walliams messaged her and asked her out.
His attorneys told The Guardian that he had been lonely following his divorce from Dutch model Lara Stone and was trying to form new connections.
In December 2025, allegations emerged that Walliams had harassed younger female employees at the publishing company, according to The Daily Telegraph.
After the company opened an investigation, Walliams was dropped by the publisher, according to the BBC. His attorneys have denied the harassment and workplace allegations.
Following The Guardian’s latest investigation, Walliams was also dropped by his literary agency, Independent Talent Group.
“ITG is deeply disturbed by the allegations concerning David Walliams,” a spokesperson told the BBC. “Our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected. We are no longer representing him in any capacity.”
The BBC also plans to remove programs featuring Walliams, including his popular sketch comedy series Little Britain, from its platforms.
Walliams is not currently facing criminal charges in connection with the allegations.