David Walliams is facing allegations that he used his celebrity status to pursue teenage girls and young women, with two women claiming they first came into contact with the comedian when they were just 15.

A joint investigation by The Guardian and ITV News, published on November 10, reported accounts from multiple women who accused the 55-year-old of grooming, sexual misconduct and inappropriate workplace behaviour.

One woman, identified as Jade, alleged that Walliams contacted her through MySpace in 2007, when she was 15. She said they exchanged messages before he arranged to meet her in London, where he allegedly asked about her sexual experience and initiated unwanted physical contact.

Another woman, identified as Alex, said she met Walliams at a fan event when she was 15. She alleged that he later contacted her, offered to support her writing ambitions and gradually began sending messages of a sexual nature. She said their relationship became sexual when she was 17.

Walliams denies the allegations, including grooming and sexual misconduct. His lawyers said he believed Alex was 18 when she resumed contact with him and denied that he had sexual contact with Jade.

How Grooming Can Exploit Trust and Admiration

Grooming involves building a relationship with a child or young person to manipulate, exploit or abuse them. It can involve attention, gifts, promises of help, emotional dependence or gradually crossing personal boundaries.

An adult's celebrity status or professional influence can create an additional power imbalance. A young fan may feel special when someone they admire contacts them, while finding it difficult to recognise when attention becomes inappropriate.

The allegations against Walliams highlight how online communication can become a route for adults to establish private relationships with teenagers. However, grooming does not always follow one pattern, and individual experiences should not be reduced to a checklist of behaviours.

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Sexual Exploitation Can Have Lasting Psychological Effects

Sexual abuse during childhood and adolescence is associated with an increased risk of mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A 2010 umbrella review published in The Lancet Psychiatry examined 19 meta-analyses covering more than four million participants. It found associations between childhood sexual abuse and a range of later psychiatric and psychosocial problems, although the strength and quality of evidence varied between outcomes.

A separate 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis involving 28,693 young people also found a significant association between childhood sexual abuse and PTSD.

These findings describe population-level risks, not inevitable outcomes. Survivors respond differently to traumatic experiences, and not everyone develops a mental health condition.

Support Can Help Survivors Recover

People who experience grooming or sexual exploitation may struggle with shame, confusion, self-blame, anxiety or difficulty trusting others. Some may not recognise the experience as abusive until years later.

The World Health Organization recommends appropriate psychological and social support for children and adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy may help address PTSD symptoms and other difficulties.

Walliams has rejected the allegations and said he is not a sexual predator or someone who has broken the law. The women who spoke to the investigation described experiences they said continued to affect them years later.

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