David Walliams
David Walliams

LONDON — David Walliams, the comedian, children's author and former "Britain's Got Talent" judge, has been accused by multiple women of using his fame to pursue teenage girls and young women for sexual purposes, in allegations dating back more than two decades. The claims follow a joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News.

The 55-year-old has denied all of the allegations.

The investigation took three years. It was published after Walliams failed to obtain a High Court injunction to stop ITN and The Guardian from reporting the claims. Earlier this month, reports said an unnamed celebrity had applied to the London court to block publication. Walliams has now been identified as that person.

The women accuse him of abusing his power and status to contact young women and to pursue what the investigation described as "inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities." Their allegations cover the period from 2003 to 2016.

Six women described direct advances they say Walliams made. Dozens of other sources told the outlets they had experienced or witnessed behavior they considered inappropriate, including on the set of "Britain's Got Talent" and at his former publisher, HarperCollins.

One woman, identified as Jade, said Walliams contacted her on MySpace in 2007, when she was 15. She alleges that after they met at a cafe in London's Soho district, he invited her to his home, where he kissed and touched her sexually. She said he suggested waiting until she turned 16. She described what happened as "grooming" and "a sexual assault." Walliams strongly denies having any sexual contact with her.

Another woman, identified as Alex, said she first met Walliams in 2004, when she was 15. She said he kept in contact with her over several years and asked her for sexual photographs when she was 17. She said they had sex three times, when she was 17 and 18. She described it as consensual but said she believes it was wrong. Walliams told ITV News that Alex was 18 when they had sex.

Other women described unwanted advances when they were 18 or 19, including attempts to kiss them at his home. One said he pressed her to share a bed and became angry when she refused.

Abby Tomlinson said that when she was 17, in 2015, she and a 13-year-old were left alone with Walliams in his dressing room at "Britain's Got Talent." His lawyers said he hosted guests of all ages and backgrounds there and that his door remained open at all times.

Former production staff on the show described an uncomfortable atmosphere around the judge. "I think there was a general sense on the production that David did what he wanted and that there was something sexual about how he behaved that was uncomfortable," one former staff member, identified as Mark, told the investigation.

The report also alleges that Walliams messaged young female runners who worked on his productions and staff at HarperCollins. Walliams admits having a sexual relationship with a junior employee at the publisher and pursuing another. He also admits a relationship with a 2017 intern. She later described it as an abuse of power, although she said it was consensual.

In a statement to ITV News, Walliams rejected the central accusations.

"I am not a sexual predator," he said. "I have not broken the law."

He also said: "I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me." And he added: "I realise I did not always take people's feelings properly into account. That is something I regret."

Walliams acknowledged that he had "at times behaved thoughtlessly" toward women with whom he had casual sexual relationships, but he denies any wrongdoing.

Companies linked to "Britain's Got Talent" responded. ITV said: "We are very sorry to hear about the concerns that have been raised." It noted that the show is produced by Fremantle, which handles day-to-day responsibility. Fremantle UK said no complaint about Walliams had been made to it, to the broadcaster or to regulators, and it encouraged anyone affected to come forward. Syco Entertainment, Simon Cowell's company, said: "Syco Entertainment had no knowledge of the allegations described and was not made aware of them at the time."

The report did not mention any police investigation.

The allegations add to problems Walliams has faced over the past year. In December 2025, HarperCollins UK said it would not publish any new titles by him. Media reports linked the decision to an internal investigation into his alleged behavior toward junior female staff. "HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams," the publisher said. It added that it does not comment on internal matters. It stopped publishing his back catalog in September.

At the time, a spokesperson for Walliams said he had never been told of any allegations by HarperCollins and strongly denied behaving inappropriately. He was later dropped from the Waterstones Children's Book Festival, and the BBC said it had no future projects directly involving him.

Walliams first became famous more than 20 years ago in the BBC sketch comedy "Little Britain" with Matt Lucas. He went on to become one of Britain's best-selling children's authors, with about 60 million books sold worldwide. He left "Britain's Got Talent" in 2022, after a recording of crude remarks he made about contestants was leaked. He apologized for those comments at the time.