What is David Walliams accused of and what has he said in response?

Multiple women have described unwanted sexual advances from the comedy star, allegations he denies

David Walliams gives his final approval on the new Gangsta Granny: The Ride at Alton Towers Resort. Picture: PA

David Walliams, one of Britain’s best-known television personalities and top-selling children’s authors, has been accused of using his power and celebrity status to prey on young women and teenagers for sex.

The allegations, which span many years, were made in a joint investigation by the Guardian and ITV News into Walliams’ conduct towards young women.

After the Guardian approached him for comment in May, Walliams and his lawyers went to court to try to prevent the allegations from being published. The court dismissed the case.

Multiple women spoke out, describing unwanted sexual advances by the comedy star when they were young or vulnerable.

Dozens of other people said they had concerns about Walliams’ conduct. Some were young models and fans, aged between 17 and 22 at the time, whom Walliams contacted unexpectedly on social media. Others said they had experienced or witnessed inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.

Lawyers for Walliams said he denied the allegations.

What are the allegations against Walliams?

Two women said they were 15 when they first met Walliams.

One, whom the Guardian is calling Alex, met him at a Little Britain fan event in 2004. They remained in periodic contact through phone calls and emails until Alex turned 17, when she said he began asking for sexualised photographs. They later met three times at his flat, when she was 17 and 18. They had sex twice and, on another occasion, oral sex. Alex said that, although the encounters were consensual, she felt she never had control of the situation and that Walliams had abused his power.

The other woman, whom the Guardian has called Jade, said Walliams kissed her and touched her sexually when she was 15, after making contact with her online in 2007. Walliams was 36 when they met.

Both women said they felt they had been groomed by Walliams and that he had used his power and celebrity status to initiate contact.

Two other women, Lilly Creightmore and a woman the Guardian has called Ella, also said they felt Walliams had abused his power and celebrity status to pursue them for sex.

Creightmore met Walliams in 2003, when she was 18, while Ella met him in 2007, when she was 19. Both women said he contacted them unexpectedly and then pursued them for sex. Neither had sex with him, but both felt his behaviour was inappropriate and that he had abused his power.

Walliams denies the allegations made by all four women. He does not deny having sex with Alex.

Do any of the allegations relate to Walliams’ time as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent?

Walliams became a judge on Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) in 2012.

Another woman, whom the Guardian has called Sarah, said she met Walliams on the set of the show in 2016, when she was 18.

Walliams, who was 44 at the time, later invited her and a friend, also aged 18, to stay at his house. Sarah said he served them wine before trying to kiss her. She said he then tried to lead her to his bedroom, despite her being so drunk she could hardly stand and telling him she was not interested in him sexually.

Sarah said: “If you have celebrity status, why can you not get women closer to your age range? … Is it, like, for manipulation? What do we have in common with a 44-year-old man?” 

Walliams denied using his celebrity status to manipulate young women. His lawyers said he refuted the suggestion that he got Sarah drunk to take advantage of her, adding that there was no sexual contact and that he did not force himself on her.

Did anyone who worked on the show have concerns?

Former BGT staff told the Guardian and ITV News that concerns about Walliams’ behaviour extended to his treatment of young women working on the show.

One former production runner said she felt “small” and “almost disembodied” after hearing Walliams refer to her as “the one with the arse”.

Other former BGT staff said two young runners, aged 19 and 21, had told them that Walliams obtained their personal phone numbers and messaged them. He called one “gorgeous” and allegedly asked the other to meet him outside work.

The women discussed the messages with colleagues, who felt uncomfortable about one of the show’s stars contacting junior members of staff.

The production companies that make BGT and ITV, which broadcasts the show, issued separate statements, each saying they were not aware of any complaints about Walliams.

Do any of the allegations relate to the world of publishing?

Walliams was dropped by his publisher, HarperCollins, in December 2025. The company announced in September this year that it would no longer publish his back catalogue.

More than two years earlier, in early 2024, the publisher had undertaken an inquiry into alleged inappropriate behaviour towards young women in the workplace.

Former HarperCollins employees told the Guardian and ITV News that concerns about Walliams’ behaviour towards female staff and young women at work events had been raised for many years.

Walliams had a sexual relationship with a junior employee at HarperCollins. The woman, who was 20 years his junior, was an intern when the relationship began. She later told colleagues that, looking back, she considered it an “abuse of power”, according to multiple sources.

Concerns were also raised with managers after Walliams obtained the email address of another junior member of staff and messaged her to ask her out.

A HarperCollins spokesperson said the company had decided not to publish any new titles by Walliams and took “employee wellbeing extremely seriously”.

Why did the Guardian and ITV News have to go to court to get the allegations published?

In May, the Guardian and ITV News sent Walliams letters outlining allegations from multiple sources and seeking his response.

Lawyers for Walliams said that, after reading the letters, he attempted suicide. He was treated in a psychiatric hospital and later absconded while on leave, before making a second suicide attempt.

His lawyers said his actions were not a sign of guilt — he denies the allegations — but were instead driven by a fear of public shame and “trial by media”.

His lawyers then applied to the court for an injunction to permanently prevent the allegations from being published, arguing that publication would pose a risk to his life.

The case was heard in late October, and last week Mr Justice Nicklin delivered his judgment. He ruled that, while the risk to Walliams’ life had to be taken seriously, the publication of the allegations “are matters capable of making a significant contribution to public debate” and the court could not prevent the Guardian or ITV News from publishing them.

The court also heard that Walliams had “a significant psychiatric history” before he was approached about the investigation, including “recurrent depressive illness, longstanding suicidal ideation” and previous suicidal behaviour.

Walliams is now being treated in a mental health facility.

What does Walliams say about the allegations uncovered by the Guardian and ITV News?

Lawyers for Walliams said it was not true that he had abused his power and celebrity status to have sex with young women and teenagers, or that he had acted as a sexual predator. They said he was devastated if any of the women who spoke to the investigation felt that way.

They added that he had not groomed young women.

His lawyers said he denied behaving inappropriately in the workplace and maintained that the two relationships at HarperCollins had been consensual.

In a letter to journalists, Walliams wrote: “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, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”