Britain's Got Talent issue statement following David Walliams sexual misconduct claims
Britain's Got Talent has issued a statement after multiple women have accused David Walliams of sexual misconduct.
The children's author and TV personality, 55, was named as the celebrity at the centre of an investigation into sexually inappropriate behaviour and grooming by The Guardian and ITV News on Tuesday (10 November).
It comes after Walliams, who denies all of the claims, tried to obtain an injunction to prevent the reporting of the allegations against him.
The company Fremantle, which produces BGT, has since issued a new statement, telling LADbible Group that anyone who feels they were the 'subject of impropriety and wrongdoing' should come forward.
The statement reads: “We are disturbed and concerned at these serious allegations.
"David Walliams has not been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent for more than four years. During his time on the show and in the intervening period, no complaint was ever made regarding his behaviour to Fremantle UK.
"If anyone feels they have been the subject of any impropriety or wrongdoing by anyone on any Fremantle or associated labels’ productions, we encourage them to come forward.
"We will treat any complaints seriously. Protecting the welfare of our employees, freelancers, contributors and fans has always been and absolutely remains paramount for the company.”
Syco Entertainment said they had 'no knowledge' of the allegations and were 'not made aware of them at the time.'
And ITV said it was 'sorry' to hear about the 'concerns that have been raised'.
The channel's statement says: "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."
Walliams was a judge on Britain's Got Talent between 2012 and 2022.
In the new investigations, one woman described her alleged encounter with Walliams, when she was 15, as a 'sexual assault,' while multiple women accuse him of 'grooming' them when they were teenagers.
In a letter understood to have been sent several months ago by Walliams to journalists working on the ITV News and Guardian investigations, the television personality wrote: “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.”
He added: “I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”
More to follow.
Madison Burgess