David Walliams faces harassment and grooming allegations from several women

The investigation

The Guardian and ITV News published their joint investigation on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, naming David Walliams, a 55-year-old British comedian, actor and children's author. The two outlets say the reporting took three years, drew on accounts from 30 people with direct knowledge of incidents, and involved contacting more than 100 people. Several women say he used his fame and professional standing to approach them for sexual purposes while they were teenagers or young adults. One woman says he sexually assaulted her at his home when she was 15. Other accounts describe attempts to manipulate young women, including some he met through Britain's Got Talent, where he was a judge.

Accounts from two women

The first woman says she met Walliams in January 2004, when she was 15, at a fan event for Little Britain. She had given him writing she had produced, as she hoped to work in comedy, and he phoned her a few days later. They stayed in touch by phone and messages, and she says his requests for photographs made the contact increasingly personal. She says sexual contact began in 2006, when she was 17 and he was 34. A second woman says she met him in the summer of 2007, also aged 15, after he messaged her on MySpace and they met at a coffee shop. She says he asked her early on whether she had ever had sex, and that after they left the coffee shop he kissed her in an alleyway.

Walliams's response

Walliams denies the allegations and says he has not broken the law. In a letter the Guardian says he sent to journalists, he acknowledged behaviour that was thoughtless towards some people with whom he had casual sexual relationships. He argued that the power imbalance fame creates is not in itself an abuse of power, and insisted he never used his position to exploit anyone. He told ITV:

“I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law.”

He added that he was distressed that some women he had met 10 to 20 years ago now expressed hurt or anger towards him.

Court fight

Before publication, Walliams sought a court order to stop the Guardian and ITN, the production company behind ITV News, from identifying him. His lawyer, Sarah Mansoor, told the High Court that he had made two suicide attempts since the investigation began and had recently been admitted to hospital for psychiatric care. She said the first followed letters from both outlets asking him to respond to the allegations. The court refused his request on 3 November, although it kept his anonymity until late on Monday, 9 November. Judge Mathew Nicklin noted that some of the alleged acts, if proven, could amount to criminal offences. Lawyers for the outlets argued that the reporting rests on thorough journalism and serves the public interest.

Industry fallout

HarperCollins, his British publisher, announced in December 2025 that it would no longer publish his books, after earlier complaints of inappropriate conduct. His literary agent has announced the end of their professional relationship, and the BBC said it will withdraw some programmes linked to him, including the TV series Little Britain that made him known. A 2022 Guardian investigation had already damaged his reputation, reporting that he made sexual comments about contestants while serving as a Britain's Got Talent judge. Walliams has written more than 40 children's books that have sold millions of copies worldwide, and some were adapted for television.