David Walliams Accused of Grooming Girls After Losing Court Bid

British comedian and children's author David Walliams has been accused of grooming teenage girls and sexual misconduct involving young women in an investigation published Tuesday, November 10, 2026, after he failed to prevent two news organizations from releasing their findings.

The joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News draws on accounts from more than 30 people with firsthand knowledge of his alleged conduct. Two women said Walliams began contacting them when they were 15, including one who accused him of sexual assault. Walliams, 55, denies grooming anyone, committing sexual offenses or abusing his celebrity status.

Before publication, Walliams sought a permanent injunction in London's High Court to prevent the outlets from releasing the investigation. His attorneys argued that publication posed a serious risk to his life, citing medical evidence concerning his mental health.

Justice Matthew Nicklin rejected the request on November 3, acknowledging the seriousness of the risk but finding that it did not legally justify preventing publication. Walliams' lawyers subsequently confirmed they would not appeal, allowing the investigation to be released.

The judge made no findings about the truth of the allegations. His ruling addressed whether the court should restrict publication, weighing the evidence of potential harm against protections for freedom of expression.

One woman, identified by the pseudonym Jade, told investigators that Walliams contacted her through MySpace in 2007, when she was 15 and he was 35. She alleged that their communications developed into an inappropriate relationship and that he later initiated unwanted sexual contact when they met in person.

Jade said Walliams suggested they should wait until she turned 16 and remain in contact. She described the experience as sexual assault and grooming. Walliams' lawyers denied that he engaged in sexual contact with her or groomed her.

Another woman, identified as Alex, said she met Walliams at a fan event in 2004, when she was 15, and subsequently received calls and emails from him. An aspiring comedy writer, she said he initially encouraged her ambitions before their communications became sexual.

According to Alex, Walliams later requested increasingly explicit photographs, and the two had sexual encounters when she was 17. Although she described the encounters as consensual, she said she now believes the relationship involved grooming because of their age difference, the influence he held over her career aspirations and the years of contact before they became sexually involved.

Walliams' lawyers denied that he groomed Alex and disputed her characterization of his conduct.

In a written response to the investigation, Walliams acknowledged that he had sometimes behaved thoughtlessly toward people with whom he had casual relationships and regretted failing to consider their feelings. He rejected allegations that he exploited his fame or committed criminal offenses.

"I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law," he wrote.

Walliams became widely known through the BBC comedy series Little Britain and later served as a judge on Britain's Got Talent. He also established a successful career as a children's author, selling millions of books internationally.

The allegations follow earlier professional disputes involving Walliams. Publisher HarperCollins stopped commissioning new books from him in 2025 following reports of inappropriate conduct toward women, allegations he denied. His literary representation has also ended, while the U.K. and Ireland distributor of Fing!, an upcoming film based on one of his books, withdrew from the project following the latest investigation.

The High Court's decision leaves the allegations open to public reporting but does not establish that Walliams engaged in grooming or sexual misconduct. Walliams continues to deny wrongdoing, and no criminal conviction has resulted from the allegations described in the investigation.