How grooming claims against David Walliams came to light

How grooming claims against David Walliams came to light David Walliams, a British comedian, judge on Britain's Got Talent and children's author, has lost a legal bid to suppress accusations he groomed and preyed on teenage girls. Walliams has denied the claims, which were published by ITV News and the Guardian overnight after a three-year investigation. A court fight had prevented the news outlets from publishing their investigation for months, but a judge rejected Walliams's injunction request last week and the protection of his identity expired late Monday, UK time. Here's what has come to light since. Warning: This article includes allegations of sexual assault and references to suicide some readers may find distressing. Who is David Walliams? Walliams, 55, rose to fame in the early 2000s through Little Britain, a provocative comedy sketch show he created with Matt Lucas that broadcast on the BBC. The pair won three BAFTAs and two International Emmys for the show, but in the two decades since it ended, it has been criticised for using blackface and mocking characters from marginalised groups. Walliams is also a best-selling children's book author and has sold more than 60 million copies worldwide, with titles The Boy in the Dress and Gangsta Granny among his most popular. Walliams joined Britain's Got Talent as a judge in 2012, a role he held until 2022 when remarks he made on the show were leaked. He later apologised for "disrespectful comments" about contestants. He was married to Dutch model Lara Stone from 2010 to 2015 and they have a son. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2017 for his services and charity to the arts. What are the accusations? The accusations published by ITV News and the Guardian date back to 2003, when Walliams was in his 30s. The Guardian said multiple women had alleged Walliams "abused his power and position as a celebrity to prey on them for sexual purposes when they were teenagers or young women". One woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by Walliams at his London home when she was 15, while others accused him of grooming them when they were teenagers. The allegations include: - One woman alleged Walliams groomed her from when she was 15 and they had sex when she was 17 and he was 34. She said it was consensual but it felt "pushy" and he treated her "like a prostitute". His lawyers said he believed she was 18. - Another woman alleged she met Walliams when she was 15 after he contacted her via social media. Aged 36, he allegedly invited her to his house and pulled up her top and sucked her breast. - Several women say Walliams first contacted them on social media, including six who were models aged between 19 and 22 at the time. One woman claims Walliams tried to kiss her while showing her around his home. - Walliams allegedly had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior female employee at HarperCollins UK and pursued another. The Guardian and ITV News said their investigation involved more than 30 sources with first-hand accounts. What has Walliams said? The Guardian said Walliams had written a letter to the investigating journalists, denying that he abused his position of power. "Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with," he wrote. "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. 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," he said. How did the accusations come to light? Guardian and ITV reporters have investigated the accusations over the past three years. Walliams had sought to block publication of the allegations primarily on the grounds he would attempt suicide if they became public. His lawyer, Sara Mansoori, told London's High Court that he had attempted suicide when he received letters from the Guardian and ITV News seeking his response to the allegations. He later made another attempt, she said, and he was recently admitted to the hospital for psychiatric care. On November 3, London's High Court rejected his application for an injunction. Overnight, a deadline for Walliams to appeal passed, meaning the news outlets were able to publish their investigation. Attorney Gavin Millar, who represented the outlets, said the allegations were gathered after "a wide-ranging and rigorous investigation" and that there was a strong public interest in publishing them. Has Walliams been charged? No police charges have been laid against Walliams and there is no suggestion he is under police investigation. After the reports were published overnight, London's Metropolitan Police said it had contacted the Guardian and ITV News "to ensure that any potential victims" were "made aware of how they could report any criminal allegations to police". What has the reaction been so far? HarperCollins UK dropped Walliams in December 2025 after Britain's Daily Telegraph reported the publisher had investigated allegations of harassment involving junior female employees. One employee agreed to a financial settlement and the publisher advised staff not to visit Walliams at his home and to work in pairs, the Telegraph wrote. Walliams's spokesperson told the BBC at the time he strongly denied behaving inappropriately and that HarperCollins had never informed him of the allegations. The latest accusations have prompted more organisations to distance themselves from Walliams. The BBC said it was removing some programs, including Little Britain, while it reviewed "all material featuring and written by David Walliams on our platforms". A spokesperson for his literary agents, Independent Talent Group, said it was "no longer representing him in any capacity". Producers of Fing! — an upcoming film based on Walliams's book — said they had removed his cameo appearance and that Walliams would "have no involvement in the film's release or promotion".