The papers feature actor and comedian David Walliams as he faces allegations of sexual misconduct after losing a legal bid to stop the claims against him being made public. The Guardian, whose joint three-year investigation along with ITV News "unearthed" the allegations, leads with "David Walliams accused of using his celebrity status to prey on young women for sex". Walliams strongly denies the allegations. In a letter addressed to the media and published by the Guardian, he said he was "not a sexual predator" and had not "broken the law". He said he "realised that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with" and said he regretted not always taking "people's feelings properly into account".
"Named & shamed", declares the Sun alongside a headshot of Walliams, who it writes has been revealed as the celebrity who lost a legal bid to stop the claims against him being made public. It also reports that the BBC is removing some programmes featuring Walliams, including hit comedy Little Britain. In his letter to the media, Walliams says: "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." Separately, the paper reports that Thomas Markle Snr has been sent to prison after "allegedly cutting off his ankle tag". The father of the Duchess of Sussex faces charges "over child sex images", an allegation he strenuously denies.
"Hiding in plain sight," reads the Daily Mirror's main headline, adding: "Surrounded by celebrity pals, Walliams 'used fame to groom teenage girls'." A photo shows Walliams at a "2003 bash" with numerous famous guests including Ricky Gervais and Jonathan Ross. In the photo, Walliams is seen with his arm around Lilly Creighmore, who alleges he "groomed her at the age of 18". The paper quotes her as saying: "He was pursuing me at a vulnerable age for sexual gratification. I didn't give him that." Walliams's lawyers told the ITV News and Guardian investigation that he denied grooming Creightmore or acting inappropriately. They added he did not "target" her because she was "vulnerable" or "young". Walliams said he believed his friendship with Lilly was a "special one" and felt "devastated" by her account. He denied the offers of help or gifts were attempts to groom, manipulate or coerce her into sleeping with him.
"Walliams faces police investigation," says the Daily Telegraph, writing that Scotland Yard contacted the Guardian and ITV to say "it wanted to ensure that potential victims knew they could report any criminal allegations to the police".
"Teenage girls he targeted in plain sight" is the Daily Mail's headline, featuring photos of Walliams with teenage girls aged 15 to 18.
"Walliams is unmasked," says the Metro, going on to report: "Multiple teens accuse him of grooming and a sex assault."
The i Paper says the comedian and children's author is "accused of preying on girls as young as 15". It quotes Walliams' statement where he acknowledges "at times I behaved thoughtlessly".
"David Walliams 'preyed on girls as young as 15'," the Independent's headline reads.
The Daily Express repeats the same accusation in its headline, and includes his statement that he is "not a sexual predator".
"Court gag case star unmasked", reports the Daily Star, which also includes a photo purporting to show a girl called "Alex", aged 15, meeting Walliams at a fan event. She says they began a sexual relationship two years later, the paper reports. Walliams told ITV News and Guardian he believed she was 18 at the time they had sex. The investigation said Alex had joked to Walliams in an email she was "old enough to go drinking", but was actually 17. Walliams denied grooming Alex. He said he was "mortified to learn" that their "brief, consensual relationship has caused her sadness".
The Times reports on the claims against Walliams, alongside a photo of the 55-year-old as a judge on TV show Britain's Got Talent, a position he held until 2022. In its main story, the Times reports that "mansion tax inspectors have been advised how to photograph people's homes without their permission to help determine if a property is liable for the new levy" – citing "official Whitehall instructions". Owners of tens of thousands of properties in England valued at more than £2m are set to be hit with a surcharge of at least £2,500 from 2028.
Finally, the Financial Times carries the headline: "Anthropic sets sights on $1.4tn (£1.05tn) value in giant Wall St debut". The AI company's initial public offering (IPO) target is "short of earlier forecasts", the paper says, following "earlier expectations that Anthropic could be worth closer to $2tn (£1.5tn)". Despite the revised estimates, the paper says the developer behind Claude planned to sell 825m shares which could mark "one of the biggest Wall Street debuts of all time".
