David Walliams accused of preying on young women after legal bid fails

British comedian and author David Walliams has been accused by several women of leveraging his celebrity status to pursue romantic and sexual relationships with them when they were young. These claims emerged from a three-year investigation conducted by the Guardian and ITV News, which was previously held back by legal challenges from the entertainer.

In addition to the personal accusations, Walliams has faced allegations of inappropriate behavior in professional settings. These include incidents at his former publisher, HarperCollins, and during his decade-long tenure as a judge on the television show Britain’s Got Talent. The publisher recently announced it would drop him and cease publishing his back catalogue of books, a decision informed by long-standing concerns including reports of an inappropriate relationship with a young employee.

Walliams initially sought to keep his identity confidential while the stories were being prepared. His legal team took the case to the U.K. High Court in early 2026, arguing that publishing the claims while naming him could lead to a severe personal crisis. In a statement reported by the BBC, his lawyers claimed that if the allegations became public, he would take his own life. However, a judge rejected the injunction last week, allowing the media to proceed with their reporting and revealing his name.

Most of the women speaking to the press stated they were over 18 during their interactions with Walliams, though two said they were 15 when they first met him. One woman described meeting the comedian at a fan event in 2004. At the time, she was 15 and he was 32, having recently gained fame through the BBC series Little Britain. She recalls him calling her attractive and staring at her, after which they exchanged contact details and scripts she had written.

According to this accuser, their communication became increasingly sexual over time, leading to consensual sex when she was 17. Walliams told the investigative team that he did not remember asking for nude pictures and believed she was 18 at the time of their encounter. Another woman claimed they connected via MySpace in 2007 when she was 15. She said they kissed in an alleyway during a meet-up in London, and he later touched her sexually at his home before suggesting they reconnect when she turned 16. Walliams denies having sexual contact with this second woman and insists he never engaged in grooming.

During his time on Britain’s Got Talent from 2012 to 2022, Walliams was accused of inviting teenage girls to the show as guests and harassing young female staff members. In November 2022, he was recorded making disparaging and sexual comments toward contestants, an incident that preceded his departure from the program. Despite these reports, his tendency to date younger women had frequently been the subject of jokes among U.K. comedians.

In a letter to the journalists working on the story, Walliams denied being a sexual predator. He stated that while he has not broken the law, he is devastated by the hurt and anger expressed by the women he met 10 to 20 years ago. He admitted to regretting that he did not always take people’s feelings into account, though he maintained that he never abused the inherent power imbalance that comes with fame.

Walliams has sold more than 26 million children’s books in the U.K., including titles such as Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy. Following the court ruling, he had the opportunity to appeal the decision that allowed the publication of the findings. However, neither he nor his legal team filed an appeal or requested additional time to do so, clearing the way for the full details of the investigation to be shared with the public.