World

David Walliams issues statement after being accused of s£xual misconduct

By Linda Ikeji 10 November 2026, 4:07 pm

David Walliams has issued a statement after being accused of s£xual misconduct with women, including young 15-year-old girl.

The Former Britain's Got Talent judge has been accused of preying on girls and young women for s£xual purposes, according to a three-year joint investigation.

Multiple women have accused Walliams of “grooming” them when they were teenagers.

Williams has now denied abusing his power as a celebrity in relationships with women but said he realised he had “behaved thoughtlessly”.

In a statement to the Guardian and ITV News, the comedian said: “Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual s£xual 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 s£xual 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.”

Downing Street described the allegations against David Walliams as "deeply troubling" after he was named in an investigation as the celebrity accused of grooming and s£xually inappropriate behaviour towards multiple women.

Walliams, 55, brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian, ahead of the two organisations reporting allegations against him, including of s£xual misconduct and potential criminal activity.

Lawyers for the media organisations previously told the High Court in London the allegations involved Walliams’ alleged “abuse of power and status” to contact young women and try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative s£xual activities”.

Walliams denied the claims and unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent these publications because of the risk he would take his own life, after two previous su!cide attempts.

The author was granted anonymity during the proceedings, which was lifted after his injunction bid was dismissed and GNM and ITN published their investigations on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

During a two-day trial in October, the court was told by the media organisations’ lawyers that the allegations were gathered after “a wide-ranging and rigorous investigation” and that there was a “strong” public interest in publishing them.

Walliams’ lawyers said that he had initially attempted su!cide after receiving letters from ITN and GNM asking for his reply to the allegations, because of “long-term trauma and the fear of trial by media”.