David Walliams' claims leaked BGT rant triggered 'active suicidal thoughts'
David Walliams believes that Britain's Got Talent producers may have leaked his explicit remarks about contestants.
The former judge on the ITV talent competition is suing bosses behind the show in the wake of the scandal. He and his lawyers have argued that the leaked recordings were part of a private conversation and should not have been released.
David, 52, who appeared on the programme between 2012 and 2022 is suing Freemantle Media for breaching the General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. New documents which were released earlier this week show Walliams is also accusing the firm of causing psychiatric harm which led to suicidal thoughts, as well as financial losses.
David quit his role on Britain's Got Talent in November 2022 (ITV)A Fremantle spokesperson said: "We had a long and productive relationship with David and so are surprised and saddened by this legal action. For our part, we remain available and open to dialogue to resolve this matter amicably. However, in the interim, we will examine the various allegations and are prepared to robustly defend ourselves if necessary."
During filming at the London Palladium in 2020, he branded one contestant a "c**t" before claiming another contestant would think the judge wanted to "f**k her". The Guardian shared the leaked recordings which heard Walliams say of one female auditionee: "She's like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f**k them, but you don't. I know, she's just like: 'Oh, f*** off!' I was saying, she thinks you want to f*** her, but you don't. It's the last thing on your mind, but she's like: 'Yep, I bet you do!' 'No I don't!' I had a bit of a b****, but now it's going, it's now shrivelled up inside my body."
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He later apologised for the "disrespectful comments" and said that they "were never intended to be shared". New High Court documents claim Walliams believes producers "retained transcripts of everything he said" during his time on the show. He also alleges that Freemantle "must be the ultimate source of the transcripts" that were leaked.
The documents state that David and his former co-stars Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell would never remove their microphones until filming had wrapped. He also alleges that private conversations surrounding the death of his dad, the breakdown of his marriage to Lara Stone and his food addiction may have also been recorded.
Detailed within the documents is also a draft report from retired consultant psychiatrist and practicing psychotherapist Dr Mark Collins who has recently been treating Walliams. He believes that the leaks had "a profound, severe and, at times, very worrying effect on (Walliams's) mental health." He also claims that David is "plagued by uncontrollable negative thoughts" which include "active suicidal thoughts."
Dr Collins also added that David is "on heavier doses of medication than at any time during my being his consultant psychiatrist." Mr Walliams also claims that his income from television appearances and public appearances have been "very severely reduced" since the leaks were made public.
The Mirror has approached ITV for comment.
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