David Walliams named as star accused of preying on young women for sex

David Walliams, one of Britain's best-known TV personalities and top-selling children's authors, has been accused by multiple women of using his fame and power to prey on young women and teenagers for sex. He denies any wrongdoing.

The allegations can now be reported after a court rejected his attempt to stop publication.

What happened?

A joint investigation by two news organisations spoke to 30 sources with first-hand accounts of his conduct. Two women, now in their 30s, said they first met Walliams when they were 15. Both say they were groomed and that the experience has affected them for almost two decades.

Other sources include young models and fans, aged between 17 and 22 at the time, who say he messaged them out of the blue on social media. The reporters also reviewed emails, messages, contemporaneous notes and newspaper articles.

Walliams, 55, is further accused of pursuing women through Britain's Got Talent and at his former publisher HarperCollins, where he had a sexual relationship with a junior member of staff. Several people described alleged harassment in the workplace. HarperCollins cut ties with him in December 2025, reportedly after an internal investigation found "inappropriate behaviour" towards young female employees.

What does he say?

Walliams's lawyers say he also denies the allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace behaviour. In a personal letter, he wrote: "I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law."

He also wrote that he sometimes "behaved thoughtlessly" towards people he had casual relationships with. A power imbalance is inevitable when one person is famous, he said, but abusing that power is "something I never did".

What did the court decide?

Walliams had asked the High Court for a lifelong injunction (a court order banning publication). His barrister said he had twice tried to take his own life after the allegations were first put to him in May, and that he would try again if they were published. The court heard he was later detained under the Mental Health Act and remains in a psychiatric hospital.

Judge Mr Justice Nicklin accepted the risk to his life was genuine and grave. But he said the investigation concerns matters of "substantial public interest", and that the state was already protecting Walliams through his hospital treatment. An injunction, he said, would be an "exceptionally serious interference" with press freedom and would stop the women from sharing their experiences.

What's next?

On Monday, Walliams's lawyers confirmed he would not appeal, clearing the way for publication. The allegations raise fresh questions for the TV industry, which has seen a run of scandals involving well-known male stars, and for his former publisher.

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