David Walliams, the prominent British television personality, children’s author, and former judge on Britain’s Got Talent, is facing public scrutiny after a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News revealed allegations that he used his celebrity status to groom fans as young as 15 and harass women in the workplace over a number of years, according to The Irish Times.
The publication of the allegations follows the dismissal of a legal bid by Walliams for an injunction to block the reporting.
The investigation incorporates accounts from more than 30 sources with first-hand knowledge, including women who alleged Walliams abused his position and power as a celebrity to pursue them when they were teenagers or young women. Among them are accounts from two women who stated they first encountered Walliams at age 15.
Walliams, 55, has strongly denied the allegations, maintaining through his legal representatives that he is not a sexual predator and has not broken the law, though he acknowledged in a personal letter to journalists that he had behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with.
The disclosures were made public after Mr Justice Matthew Nicklin refused Walliams’s application for a court injunction at the London High Court. Lawyers representing Independent Television News and Guardian News and Media argued during an October trial that a wide-ranging and rigorous investigation had uncovered allegations of an abuse of power and status
to initiate inappropriate sexual activities, and that publishing was in the strong public interest.
During the legal proceedings, the court was informed that Walliams was staying in a psychiatric hospital and faced an elevated risk of self-harm. In his 52-page judgment, Mr Justice Nicklin determined that granting the injunction would constitute an exceptionally serious interference with freedom of expression and would not eliminate the risk to his health.
Following the dismissal, Walliams’s lawyers confirmed he would not seek an appeal, clearing the way for the joint reporting by The Guardian and ITN.
The latest revelations compound a series of professional setbacks for the author and comedian in recent years. Walliams previously departed Britain’s Got Talent in 2022 following the leak of recorded remarks in which he made disrespectful and sexually explicit comments about auditioning contestants during filming breaks at the London Palladium in January 2020. He subsequently pursued legal action against show producer Fremantle regarding data protection, which culminated in an out-of-court settlement.
In the publishing sector, HarperCollins terminated its relationship with Walliams in December 2025 following an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior and harassment directed at junior female staff members.
The publisher later stated that it would cease selling and reprinting his back catalogue of children’s literature, which includes titles such as The Boy In The Dress, Fing, and Gangsta Granny. Alton Towers permanently closed its themed attraction dedicated to the author earlier in the year.
Production companies associated with Britain’s Got Talent and broadcaster ITV stated they had received no prior complaints regarding Walliams’s conduct toward fans outside the workplace, while representatives for HarperCollins pointed to their prior statements prioritizing employee wellbeing.
Earlier coverage: David Walliams Faces Misconduct Allegations After Injunction Denied
