David Walliams named as celebrity behind blocked sexual misconduct story

David Walliams has been named as the celebrity who applied for a court injunction at the London High Court to try to prevent ITN and The Guardian from publishing a story about him containing allegations that he abused his power to engage in “inappropriate sexual activities with a large number of girls and young women,” according to BBC News. He denies the allegations.

Walliams was not granted the injunction, meaning that these allegations may now be made public by the news organizations. He told the court that if the injunction was not granted and the stories were published, it was “highly likely” he would attempt to commit suicide. His lawyer told the court he had already attempted to do so twice before.

The allegations

The Guardian and ITV News investigation alleges Walliams groomed fans he met when they were as young as 15 and harassed women in the workplace over a number of years. He denies the allegations.

One woman, referred to as Alex, says she met Walliams in January 2004 when she was 15 and he was 32. She says they were having sex by the time she was 17. Walliams’ lawyers say he understood her to be 18 when she got back in touch and that he does not recall, and does not believe, that he asked Alex to send him sexual pictures of herself.

Another woman, Lilly Creightmore, says she was 18 when Walliams sent her a card asking for a date. She says he constantly pestered her for sex over the years they knew him.

Walliams’ response

Walliams denies any wrongdoing. In a letter to journalists working on the investigation, he wrote: “Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with.”

He added: “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 also said: “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.”

Career impact

Walliams was first accused of inappropriate behavior in 2022 when it was alleged he had made sexually explicit and derogatory comments about contestants on “Britain’s Got Talent.” The revelations, in the Guardian newspaper, resulted in his exit from the show.

In 2025, HarperCollins ended its publishing contract with Walliams. The Guardian and ITV News can now reveal that the publisher severed ties with the star author after concerns were raised about his behaviour over several years, including an allegation that he had inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior female employee and pursued another. Earlier this year, the publisher said they would no longer sell or reprint his back catalogue of books.

Walliams later sued “Britain’s Got Talent” producer Fremantle over data protection. The parties eventually settled out of court.

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Sources

• variety.com: David Walliams Accused of 'Grooming Fans' and 'Harassing Women'
• theguardian.com: ‘It wasn’t long until he asked me if I’d ever had sex before’: David Walliams accused of preying on young women for sex | David Walliams | The Guardian
• deadline.com: David Walliams Accused Of Exploitative Sexual Misconduct

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.