David Walliams denies allegations of exploiting fame to pursue young women

David Walliams has been accused by several women of exploiting his fame and influence to pursue young women and teenagers for sex, according to a joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News. The television entertainer and bestselling children’s author, 55, denies wrongdoing. The allegations have been published after the high court dismissed his attempt to block the reports.

Two women, both now in their 30s, said they first encountered Walliams when they were 15. They alleged that he groomed them and said the effects had lasted almost two decades. Other accounts concern allegations that he used his positions on Britain’s Got Talent and at his former publisher, HarperCollins, to pursue women. He had a sexual relationship with a junior employee at the publisher.

The investigation drew on 30 sources who provided first-hand accounts of his conduct. Journalists examined emails, social media exchanges, notes made at the time and newspaper reports. Young models and fans, aged between 17 and 22 at the time, described receiving unsolicited social media messages from Walliams. Other sources said they experienced or witnessed alleged workplace harassment. Many women described lasting distress.

At a high court hearing last week, Walliams’ lawyers said he had attempted suicide twice after the news organisations presented the allegations to him in May. His barrister, Sara Mansoori KC, argued that publication would put his life at risk and sought a lifelong injunction under human rights law. His lawyers attributed his response to fear of public humiliation rooted in childhood trauma, rather than guilt. Mansoori acknowledged that the proposed order would also effectively stop the women from sharing their accounts.

Mr Justice Nicklin accepted that the suicide risk was genuine and grave, and recognised potentially grave consequences for Walliams’ teenage son. However, he found that the investigation raised substantial public interest issues and that the court was not obliged to prevent publication to protect Walliams from self-harm. Walliams had been detained under the Mental Health Act before the hearing, and the judge said inpatient treatment provided significant protection. Nicklin also found that an injunction would severely interfere with press freedom and the sources’ ability to describe their experiences publicly.

The case was dismissed last Tuesday. On Monday, Walliams’ lawyers confirmed that he would not appeal, clearing the way for publication. He remains in a psychiatric hospital. In a letter to journalists, Walliams acknowledged that he had sometimes treated people thoughtlessly during casual sexual relationships, but denied abusing the power associated with his celebrity. He also denied being a sexual predator or breaking the law. His lawyers separately rejected allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace conduct.

The accounts cover a period stretching from Walliams’ success in the BBC comedy Little Britain through his years on Britain’s Got Talent. They raise questions for the television industry and HarperCollins. The publisher ended its relationship with Walliams in December 2025, reportedly following an internal investigation into inappropriate conduct towards young female employees, including behaviour dating back years.

HarperCollins referred journalists to its December 2025 statement announcing that it would publish no further new Walliams titles and emphasising employee wellbeing. In separate responses, ITV and the companies producing Britain’s Got Talent each said they were unaware of any complaints about him.