Former BGT Judge David Walliams Accused of Grooming Fans After Injunction Bid Fails

Former Britain's Got Talent judge David Walliams is facing renewed scrutiny after an investigation by The Guardian and ITV News published allegations from multiple women who claim he used his celebrity status to pursue them when they were teenagers or young adults.

The investigation, published on 10 November, detailed accounts from women who said they first encountered Walliams through fan events, social media and professional settings. Some alleged that he contacted them when they were as young as 15, offering career guidance and personal attention before the interactions allegedly became sexual or uncomfortable.

Walliams denies the allegations, with his lawyers rejecting claims that he groomed young women, abused his position or engaged in workplace harassment. The revelations came after an attempt to prevent publication through legal action at the High Court was dismissed, allowing the women's accounts to be reported.

Women Describe Alleged Encounters With Walliams

According to a report from The Guardian, one woman identified by the pseudonym Alex said she first met Walliams at a fan event in 2004, when she was 15 and he was 32. She had given him examples of scripts she had written because she hoped to become a comedy writer.

Alex said Walliams later contacted her, encouraged her writing and offered the possibility of helping her career. She alleged that their communication eventually became sexual and that they had sex when she was 17.

She described feeling that the comedian had used his position of influence and her admiration for him to establish a relationship. However, Walliams' lawyers said he believed she was 18 when they reconnected and denied grooming or pressuring her. They also disputed aspects of her account of their encounters.

Another woman, identified as Jade, alleged that Walliams contacted her through MySpace in 2007 when she was 15. She recalled meeting him in London, where he allegedly asked whether she had ever had sex before.

Jade claimed he later invited her to his home and initiated sexual contact, which she said made her uncomfortable. She alleged that he suggested they should wait until she was 16.

Walliams' representatives denied that he had any sexual contact with Jade and rejected the allegations of grooming and serious criminal conduct.

The investigation also included accounts from other women who described allegedly uncomfortable interactions, including invitations to his home, persistent romantic attention and attempts to initiate physical contact.

Workplace Conduct Also Comes Under Scrutiny

The allegations were not limited to women who encountered Walliams as fans. According to The Guardian, several former and current industry sources raised concerns about his behaviour towards female colleagues and junior staff.

One 19-year-old Britain's Got Talent runner reportedly shared messages from Walliams with colleagues, including comments describing her as 'gorgeous'. Another former staff member said a 21-year-old colleague had shown him messages in which the comedian asked her out.

A separate woman who worked as his runner in 2017 alleged that he made an inappropriate remark about her appearance. Walliams' lawyers denied that he had behaved inappropriately or harassed young women in the workplace.

The Guardian also reported concerns raised inside publisher HarperCollins, which had published Walliams' bestselling children's books. The company conducted an internal investigation after concerns were raised by female employees, before eventually deciding to stop publishing his works.

Walliams Denies Allegations After Legal Challenge Fails

Walliams' legal representatives rejected the central claims made in the investigation. In a letter to journalists, the comedian said he regretted behaving thoughtlessly towards some women with whom he had casual sexual relationships, but denied abusing his position of influence.

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

The Guardian reported that his lawyers had previously taken a case to the High Court in an attempt to prevent the allegations from being published. The case was dismissed, allowing the investigation to proceed.

The story also prompted widespread attention on X after Pop Base identified Walliams as the previously unnamed celebrity referenced in the allegations. Its post attracted millions of views, with some users expressing shock while others shared references to his former television appearances.

Walliams became widely known through Little Britain before spending a decade as a judge on Britain's Got Talent. He was removed from the programme in 2022 after derogatory and sexually explicit remarks about contestants were reported, for which he later apologised.

The latest allegations have placed his past interactions with fans and colleagues under renewed scrutiny. However, the claims remain allegations, and Walliams continues to deny wrongdoing.