Comedian and presenter David Walliams has revealed he was detained in a prison cell in Italy just hours after landing.
Speaking at the Henley Literary Festival, the former Britain’s Got Talent judge had been answering questions from fans. One audience member had asked the children’s book author where his favourite writing spot was.
Walliams, 52, responded by indulging the audience in a horror story that saw him being held by Italian police officers. He also revealed how he was able to stay so level-headed during the ordeal.
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The author said that he had recently been to the Italian city of Venice for a weekend away. He went on to say that he has two passports – one that is valid and another that is out of date.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“By accident, I picked up the out-of-date one,” he recalled to his fans. “And this wasn’t spotted at Heathrow.
“It wasn’t until I arrived at Venice that it was spotted. I was taken away by the Italian police, and I was locked in a cell for seven hours.”
During the ordeal, Walliams admitted he had kept himself busy thanks to the “fully charged” laptop he had brought with him. He added: “I sat there, and I typed for seven hours straight and the time passed very well. So the best place to write, for me, is an Italian prison cell”.
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Later on in the Q&A, David was asked by a younger fan why he decided to leave Britain’s Got Talent, after he opted to leave the show earlier this year. Walliams quipped back: “Ask me again, when you’re 18 years old and you’ll find out the answer”.
David left the judging panel in January after offensive comments he had made about some contestants in 2020 had surfaced. In leaked recordings published by The Guardian back in November last year, the dad-of-one was heard talking about participants in a derogatory tone.
(Image: Getty Images)
In a statement released in response to the recordings, Walliams apologised for his words. He confessed: “I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent in 2020. These were private conversations and – like most conversations with friends – were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.”
ITV bosses scrambled to find a new panellist to join Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell ahead of the new series earlier this year. In the end, former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli filled the seat.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
