David Walliams has been accused of preying on teenage girls as young as 15 for sex, as well as further allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards young women, a joint three-year investigation by ITV News and The Guardian has revealed.
The accusations span more than two decades alongside the TV personality and author’s meteoric rise to fame and popularity.
Walliams denies all allegations made against him and says: “I am not a sexual predator… I have not broken the law”.
Many of the women and men ITV News has spoken with have asked for their identities to be protected. Their pseudonyms are marked with an asterisk.
Watch David Walliams: Power and Silence on ITVX and YouTube
2003
Walliams and co-star Matt Lucas’ comedy sketch series, Little Britain, makes its television debut on the BBC.
It was an instant smash-hit and quickly cements the writers and actors as household names. Later that year, Walliams wins the British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Newcomer.
Also in 2003, Walliams, 31, contacts Lilly Creightmore, an 18-year-old model. Lilly later alleges Walliams “targeted” her “at a vulnerable age, at a vulnerable point” in her life to pursue her for “sexual gratification.”
She tells ITV News she feels the comedian “groomed” her over a period of several years.
Walliams says he did not “target” Lilly because she was “vulnerable” or “young.” He says he believed their friendship was a “special one” and he denies the offers of help or gifts were attempts to groom, manipulate or coerce her into sleeping with him.
2004
Walliams, 32, meets 15-year-old Alex* at a Little Britain fan event. Alex, an aspiring comedy writer, hands Walliams copies of scripts she’s written and a covering letter with her contact details on. Afterwards, she says he calls her, asks how old she is, and offers her work experience and encourages her to send him more scripts.
Over the next two years, Alex and Walliams communicate via email and telephone calls. On a couple of occasions, Walliams asks her not to send him any more scripts.
But Alex continues to email him. She later tells ITV News: “He was the one spending hours on the phone to me, telling me and promising me that I could do all this stuff. And then he shut it down – which was confusing for me… I just didn’t want to let a connection go.”
Walliams and Lucas win Best Comedy Performers at the Royal Television Society awards. Walliams also wins another British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actor.
2005
Walliams and Lucas win two Baftas for Little Britain – Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Performance. The pair also win two Rose d’Or awards for Best Male Comedy Performance and Best Comedy Series.
In late 2005, Walliams replies to an email from Alex, asking how old she is and how much school she has left. She jokes that she is “old enough to go drinking” but she is in fact 17. He is 34.
Alex says the “tone” of their relationship becomes sexual. Walliams begins asking Alex to send him sexual photographs of herself, she says, including nude pictures. Walliams says he does not recall and does not believe he asked Alex to send him sexual pictures of herself and believed she was 18 when they were emailing in 2005.
Little Britain Live, a stage production of the show, begins a two-year tour of the UK, Ireland and Australia.
To get in contact with us about this story, email us at investigations@itv.com
2006
Alex and Walliams have sex for the first time when she is 17. They would go on to have sex two more times, including after she turns 18. She says the sex feels “very pushy” and makes her feel “like a prostitute, essentially. I was there for that reason and then I was out.”
She begins to distance herself from Walliams but says he continues to pursue her for sex for nearly two more years.
Alex later says she thinks she was “groomed 100%” by Walliams. She tells ITV News: “He was a figure of authority to me, someone I looked to for guidance and help, and he used that power and abused that power the minute he felt he just about could and was just about safe to.”
Walliams denies grooming Alex. He claims he wrote to her at 15 to encourage her writing. He does not recall offering her tickets to his show or work experience.
He also denies he was pushy towards Alex and finds the suggestion “distressing”, saying she raised no concerns at the time. He says he believed that each time they had sex she was 18. He says he is “mortified to learn that their brief, consensual relationship has caused her sadness”.
In July, Walliams swims the Channel for Sport Relief – part of Comic Relief – a major UK charity that he goes on to work with for nearly two decades. He raises £1 million. His 10.5-hour swim from England to France puts him in the top 50 Channel swimmers of all time.
Later that year, he is invited to Buckingham Palace where he is commended by Queen Elizabeth II for the swim.
He also wins BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year and the Pride of Britain Award for “Britain’s Most Influential Public Figure”.
2007
Walliams contacts Jade*, a 15-year-old, via MySpace after she comments publicly on a picture of him, she says. Jade claims they continue to speak for several weeks before meeting at a café in London and going back to his house. Jade later describes what Walliams allegedly did to her as “a grooming” and “a sexual assault”.
“He lifted my top up and sucked on my breast and then tried to put my hand down his trousers,” Jade tells ITV News. “That’s when I pulled away and said ‘no’. He had an erection at the time.
“I wasn’t ready for sex… I didn’t want to be touched in that way at all. I was only a 15-year-old.”
Walliams denies that he had any sexual contact with Jade. He rejects any allegations of criminal activity and says he has never engaged in the grooming of young women.
That same year, Walliams stars in his first blockbuster film, Stardust, alongside an all-star Hollywood cast.
It is the first of more than 25 feature films he appears in over the next decade, including Dinner for Schmucks, Murder Mystery and Great Expectations, while he voiced notable parts in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and the titular character in Pudsey the Dog: The Movie.
Walliams leaves another model, 19-year-old Ella*, a voicemail after getting her number through her agent, she says. At one point, he invites her to a party at his house. Ella, who’s just turned 20, says one of the other older guests there warned her: “You’re very young. Be careful, be careful.”
Ella tells ITV News that Walliams took her upstairs and tried to kiss her. She accuses him of “unwanted physical touching, emotional manipulation” and abusing his power.
Walliams says that after he made a “clumsy pass” at Ella, he made no further approaches. He claims he had no intention of intimidating or making Ella feel uncomfortable.
2008
Walliams swims 12 miles across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco for Sport Relief.
Little Britain USA airs on HBO to American audiences, and on the BBC in the UK.
Later that year, Walliams kickstarts his literary career and publishes his first children’s book, The Boy in the Dress, with HarperCollins UK. It is later adapted into a film, with Walliams appearing in it, alongside other famous actors.
Over the next decade, he goes on to publish almost 50 children’s books, selling tens of millions of copies worldwide.
2010
Walliams leads a celebrity team to cycle the length of the UK non-stop in 82 hours, raising £1 million for Sport Relief.
Come Fly with Me, another highly popular TV comedy series co-created and starred in by Walliams and Lucas, airs on BBC One in December.
2011
Walliams swims 140 miles along the length of the River Thames battling illness and rescuing a dog. He raises more than £1 million for Sport Relief for the eight-day swim.
2012
In April, Walliams joins Britain’s Got Talent as a judge, further boosting his stardom. He goes on to work on the show for 10 series.
In October, he releases his autobiography, Camp David, and the following month, Walliams hosts the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
2015
43-year-old Walliams messages Abby Tomlinson, 17, on Twitter and invites her to a recording of Britain’s Got Talent.
She goes with a 13-year-old girl. When they arrive, she says they are taken to his dressing room where they join two other girls, aged 16 and 17.
Abby says they are left on their own with Walliams in his dressing room, with the door shut. His lawyers later deny the girls were alone with the judge and say the “door remained open at all times”.
But Abby is adamant. “I know now it’s part of the pattern of inviting young girls and young women to his dressing room,” Abby tells ITV News.
Walliams’ lawyers claim he hosted guests of different ages, genders and backgrounds with no focus on young females, and he denies there is any “open secret” about his conduct.
Walliams wins the National Television Award for Best TV Judge.
Katie*, a member of staff at HarperCollins, says a junior colleague shows her emails the author had sent her which “she definitely wasn’t pleased about.” Katie feels it was “just not appropriate for an author to be messaging a member of staff like that.”
Walliams admits contacting the young woman and asking her to meet with him. He says at the time he was “heartbroken and lonely after his divorce and was hoping to meet someone”.
Katie alleges normal working practices are changed around Walliams.
She tells ITV News that although it is common practice to send staff to authors’ houses to collect manuscripts: “We would never send any of the girls on their own to his [Walliams’] flat”.
She says she raises her concerns about Walliams’ behaviour with management and HR but says “nothing ever happened” because he is “responsible for HarperCollins hitting their targets every year”.
HarperCollins later says in a statement to ITV News and the Guardian that it “takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns”.
Walliams denies that he sexually harassed anyone at HarperCollins or behaved inappropriately in the workplace.
To get in contact with us about this story email us at investigations@itv.com
2016
18-year-old Sarah* is invited to Britain’s Got Talent by a friend of hers, who had been chatting to Walliams on social media since the age of 17.
Within hours of leaving the show, Sarah says Walliams begins following her on social media and messages her. Sarah and her friend, both 18, stay the night at 44-year-old Walliams’ house some weeks later.
There, she claims she rejects him when he tries to kiss her. She says Walliams later tries to lead her towards the floor where his bedroom is, before her friend intervenes.
Walliams says he did not force himself onto Sarah and denies there was any sexual contact with her. He maintains both women were “friendly” the next day and “did not raise any issue” with him.
A few months later, Sarah’s friend receives a threatening letter from Walliams’ lawyers. Walliams says he believed Sarah’s friend was planning to sell a false story to the papers.
Helen* was working in the Children’s Department at HarperCollins. She says Walliams is known for trying to get the contact details of female staff. Once, at a book signing event with Walliams, Helen says her manager wanted to keep other female workers away from the author “to keep exposure to a minimum.”
She confirms Katie’s claims that “there was an agreement – if you went to his [Walliams’] house you had to go in a pair. You couldn’t go by yourself.” Helen tells ITV News that Walliams, at this point, is known within the company as “a creep”.
Walliams denies that he sexually harassed anyone at HarperCollins or behaved inappropriately in the workplace.
In December, Walliams hosts the Royal Variety Performance for a second time, at the Royal Albert Hall.
2017
Mark* and Amy* work with Walliams on Britain’s Got Talent. Mark tells ITV News “there was something sexual about how he [Walliams] behaved that was uncomfortable” and that one day he walked into the judge’s dressing room to find two “very young people” there.
He says Walliams was only wearing a towel. Despite feeling uneasy on several occasions, Mark didn’t report his concerns. After the series ends, Mark receives £300 from Walliams. He says a senior member of staff refers to it as “hush money”.
Walliams denies he was “buying” Mark’s silence and there was nothing that needed “covering up.” Walliams says he tipped staff every year and the amount he gave Mark was no higher than normal. He describes the comments as “smear”.
Amy says she overhears Walliams making derogatory comments about her on set, referring to her as “the one with the arse” rather than by her name. She also says in one encounter, he stares at her chest. “It made me feel small and almost disembodied. Like I was not a person, but just a body,” she tells ITV News. “And there’s just a vibe you get when someone is being predatory.”
Walliams says he does not recall making the remark and denies that he stared at Amy’s chest or was “predatory”. He rejects claims he behaved inappropriately and harassed young women in the workplace.
In a statement, BGT’s production company, Fremantle UK, later say that “no complaint has ever been made” regarding Walliams’ behaviour but it “will treat any complaints seriously and investigate thoroughly and to the best of our ability.”
Walliams starts a consensual sexual relationship with an intern at HarperCollins in 2017 after she visits his house alone for work, multiple sources later tell ITV News and the Guardian. Sometime after, the young woman tells colleagues that although it was consensual she later considered it an “abuse of power.”
Walliams says he had “an entirely consensual sexual relationship” with her.
He denies that he sexually harassed anyone at HarperCollins or behaved inappropriately in the workplace.
The author is invited to Buckingham Palace again, this time to be awarded an OBE for services to charity and the arts.
2018
Walliams wins the National Television Award for Best TV Judge for a second time.
The comedian begins narrating the ITV show, It’ll Be Alright on the Night. He voices the long-running blooper programme until 2025.
2019 & 2020
Walliams wins the National Television Award for Best TV Judge for the third and fourth time.
2021
Theme park, Alton Towers, opens The World of David Walliams, an area inspired by the author’s popular children’s books.
2022
Walliams leaves Britain’s Got Talent in November after recordings of derogatory and sexually explicit comments he made about contestants are leaked.
He apologises, saying the comments were part of “private” conversations.
2023
Walliams takes BGT’s production company, Fremantle UK, to the High Court for misuse of private information and breaching data laws.
Fremantle apologises and reaches a financial settlement with Walliams.
2023 – 2024
In 2023, HarperCollins begins an internal investigation into Walliams’ conduct. ITV News understands at least five female members of staff speak to the inquiry, which ends in 2024.
Later, a representative for Walliams says HarperCollins never made him aware of the investigation or any complaints against him. But one woman who spoke to the inquiry reportedly left the company afterwards with a five-figure payout and a strict separation agreement.
2025
In June, Walliams is reported to have made Nazi salutes and a sexual hand gesture during a recording of the panel show Would I Lie To You in front of a studio audience. The BBC calls the incident “unacceptable.”
After 20 years, Walliams is dropped by his publisher HarperCollins amid reports of “inappropriate behaviour towards young women” at the company.
By this point, more than 26 million of Walliams’ books have been sold in the UK alone – making £156 million in sales. Several of his books have been made into TV shows, plays and movies.
A spokesperson for Walliams at the time says “he had never been informed of any allegations raised against him” by HarperCollins.
They add: “He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice.”
2026
The latest movie adaptation of one of Walliams’ children’s books, Fing!, premieres at the Sundance Film Festival in January, with the actor himself appearing in it.
In September, HarperCollins decides it will no longer publish Walliams’ backlist and is phasing out remaining copies of his books on shelves, as well as e-books and audio versions available online.
Despite this, Walliams remains the most loaned author in British libraries in 2026. Between December 2025 when the publisher drops Walliams and September 2026, around 141,000 of his books are sold in the UK at a total profit of £936,000.
In October, a two-day trial takes place at the High Court after Walliams filed an injunction to stop ITV News and the Guardian from publishing allegations about him.
In November, Alton Towers announces it is closing the World of David Walliams attraction at its theme park with immediate effect.
ITV News and the Guardian publish a joint three-year investigation revealing sexual allegations against Walliams after he loses his bid for an injunction.
Walliams denies the allegations made against him, including any criminal conduct, and says he is “not a sexual predator” and is “devastated” by the claims.
In response to this investigation, Walliams said: “Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with… 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…
“I am not a sexual predator… I have not broken the law… I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”
In a statement responding to the investigation, HarperCollins, says: “HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision. HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns. To respect the privacy of individuals we do not comment on internal matters.”
BGT’s production company, Fremantle UK, says: “David Walliams left Britain’s Got Talent four years ago. During his time on the show and in the four years since, no complaint has ever been made – either to Fremantle UK, the broadcaster or regulator… regarding his behaviour.
“Nevertheless, if anyone feels they have been the subject of any impropriety or wrongdoing by anyone, we encourage them to come forward. We will treat any complaints seriously and investigate thoroughly and to the best of our ability.”
Syco Entertainment, the company that created BGT, says: “Syco Entertainment had no knowledge of the allegations described and was not made aware of them at the time.”
ITV, which broadcasts BGT, says in a statement: “We are very sorry to hear about the concerns that have been raised. BGT is produced for ITV by Fremantle, an independent production company. Although ITV is the broadcaster of the programme, the producer has day to day responsibility for the running of the production, including all aspects of duty of care, and for ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory obligations as well as ITV’s production and compliance guidelines.”
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues raised, help is available here.
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