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Phillips questions ignorance of allegations about Walliams’ conduct with teenage girls
Jess Phillips said she found it “dazzlingly hard to believe” that people were unaware of alleged patterns in David Walliams’ behaviour towards teenage girls. She criticised the entertainment industry’s safeguarding practices after reports alleged that girls were taken to Walliams’ Britain’s Got Talent dressing room without a chaperone.
Phillips had taken her children to meet Walliams during the 2019 election campaign and called him a “legend”. Walliams denies all allegations, including grooming and criminal activity, and denies paying a junior employee for silence; Fremantle said it had received no complaint about his behaviour. A judge rejected his bid to prevent publication, and police said they had contacted the journalists to help potential victims report allegations.
In short
- Jess Phillips questioned how the alleged behaviour could have gone unnoticed.
- She had previously taken her children to meet Walliams.
- Walliams denies the allegations; police have contacted the journalists.
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The case for
Phillips’s criticism can be understood as a call for the entertainment industry to take safeguarding seriously: if teenage girls were brought to an adult performer’s dressing room without a chaperone, that would raise legitimate questions about supervision and who was responsible. People with influence may also have a duty to notice and act on warning signs, even when no formal complaint has been made.
The case against
It is reasonable to caution against treating allegations or reported patterns as established fact, particularly while Walliams denies wrongdoing and the company says it received no complaint. People may not have known about alleged conduct, and judging them for ignorance without clear evidence of what they knew risks unfairly implying complicity; safeguarding concerns should be investigated through reliable evidence and due process.
Explained simply
David Walliams is a comedian and television presenter who appeared as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, a programme made by the production company Fremantle. Jess Phillips is a Labour MP whose work has included campaigning on violence against women and girls.
The reports concern allegations about Walliams’ interactions with teenage girls, including claims that girls were taken to his dressing room without a chaperone. Safeguarding means steps taken by organisations to protect children and young people from harm; questions about it can involve how concerns are handled and who is responsible for supervision.
The allegations remain disputed: Walliams denies them, and Fremantle has said it received no complaint about his behaviour. The case has drawn attention to how the entertainment industry protects young people and responds when concerns are raised.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Jess Phillips says it is ‘hard to believe’ no-one knew the suspicions about David Walliams’ behaviour with young girls – after taking her children to meet the ‘legend’ during election campaign”.