David Walliams accused of exploiting fame for sexual intercourse with young people

O british comedian and writer David Walliams was accused by several women of using his fame and influence to obtain sexual intercourse, including with teenagers, according to an investigation released today by The Guardian and ITV.

The investigation gathers testimonies from 30 people who reported personal experiences or behaviors they witnessed, involving the former juror of the television program “Britain’s Got Talent”, which denies all accusations.

Among the whistleblowers are two women, currently in their 30 ’ s, who claim to have met David Walliams when they were only 15 years old and claim to have been victims of a process of sexual grooming, whose consequences continue to feel almost two decades later.

Other women, including young models and admirers who were between 17 and 22 years old at the time of the events, reported receiving unexpected messages from the comedian through social networks.

David Walliams, 55, is also accused of having abused his position to seek relationships with women linked to the “Britain’s Got Talent” program and HarperCollins, who was responsible for publishing his children’s books, where he maintained a sexual relationship with a lower hierarchical employee.

According to The Guardian, journalists have analyzed electronic messages, social media communications, time notes and press articles to document the complaints, covering several years of the comedian’s career, since the success of the series “Little Britain”.

The charges could only be made public after a British court rejected an attempt by David Walliams to prevent their publication.

At the hearing last week, the comedian's lawyers revealed that he had made two suicide attempts since May, when he was confronted by journalists with the charges, and that he was in a psychiatric hospital.

The defense argued that the disclosure of the testimonies posed a serious risk to his life and asked for a judicial remedy that would permanently prevent the publication of the investigation.

The judge acknowledged the existence of a real and serious risk of suicide, but considered that the investigation concerned issues of substantial public interest and that prohibiting its disclosure would constitute exceptionally serious interference in press freedom.

The magistrate also pointed out that David Walliams was receiving psychiatric treatment in a protected environment and that preventing publication would also deprive women of the possibility of publicly reporting their experiences.

The decision was made last Tuesday and, on Monday, the lawyers confirmed that they would not appeal.

In a letter sent to journalists from The Guardian and ITV News, David Walliams rejected the charges, although he admitted that he sometimes behaved in an unthinkable manner with people with whom he had occasional sexual intercourse.

“I am not a sexual predator. I did not break the law, but I am devastated by some of the women I met 10 or 20 years ago expressing now hurt or indignation towards me ", wrote.

The comedian also denied having abused his position of power, as well as accusations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.

In December 2025, HarperCollins announced that it would stop publishing new books by David Walliams, one of its most successful authors, following allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior towards younger employees.

Already in September this year, the publisher announced the complete breakup of relations with the writer, removing all his published work from the catalogue and circulation.

Questioned by The Guardian about the new complaints, HarperCollins referred to a December 2025 statement in which it claimed to take the welfare of workers very seriously.

Also in 2022, David Walliams was involved in a controversy that led to his leaving the jury of the “Britain’s Got Talent” program, following the disclosure of pejorative and sexual comments he had made about a competitor in 2020.

ITV and the producers responsible for the program have now told The Guardian not to be aware of any complaints against the former juror.

Known for the BBC comedy series “Little Britain” and for participating for a decade in the jury of “Britain’s Got Talent”, David Walliams is also one of the most successful British authors of child literature, with over 50 million copies sold and translated into more than 50 languages, according to the specialized publication The Bookseller.

The writer and humorist, born in England in 1971, was decorated by the British Crown in 2017 for the services rendered to the arts, and is the author of more than 40 books, including “Grandma Gangster”, “Doctor Tiradentes”, “Pai Sarilho” and “Campeão de Saies”, published in Portugal by Porto Editora.