David Walliams has claimed he was left suicidal following his axe from Britain’s Got Talent.
The TV star, 52, quit the show in November 2022 after leaked recordings were released. The comments saw him bad mouth a number of contestants during audition stage episodes in 2020.
And now, he has alleged how bosses spied on him during his time on the ITV show, in explosive High Court documents seen by The Sun. The publication reports how David claims that the makers of the show Fremantle Media “recorded, transcribed and retained” private conversations for ten years.
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In the 21-page-legal documents, he accuses them of an unlawful data protection breach on an industrial scale. David has also alleged they collected private details from conversations during his time on the show – something he claims they did the same to fellow judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.
(Image: PA)
David is now said to be seeking £1 million he was expected to get from his role on the show last year, as well as £1.7 million in earnings he’s lost. In addition, he is wanting an extra £3.4 million which covers future losses until 2025, making the total £6.1 million.
He is also seeking unspecified damages for distress, psychiatric harm, distress and upset and the loss of control of his personal information, as well as legal costs. The Sun claims how this could bring the total to £10 million.
The publication also alleges how David says he is fighting “active suicidal thoughts.” He also thinks he has “lost the ability to be funny” over fears that whatever he says will be used against him.
(Image: PA)
His lawyers say in the document: “The Claimant (Walliams) now understands that, unknown to him at the time, his microphone was kept on and recording throughout the whole filming day, including breaks, during his whole tenure as a judge on the show.” David claims this happened when he went to the toilet.
The claim also says how Fremantle allegedly “produced and retained transcripts of the audio recordings of everything he said during that time, including the private information that had no relevance to production of the show”. It is also claimed a copy of the transcripts was made available to Simon Cowell’s co-producer firm Syco upon request as well.
(Image: SplashNews.com)
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However David has claimed some of the material that was recorded was private. These include him speaking to Alesha about his marriage, sex life and relationships, as well as his mental and physical health.
Daily Star has contacted Fremantle Media for comment.
David’s derogatory remarks that caused him to get the chop from the show were recorded during an audition show. It took place at the London Palladium and saw David call an elderly contestant a “c**t” three times while speaking to an unknown party at the judges table.
He also claimed another contestant would think the judge wanted to “f**k” her, muttering when she walked on stage: “She’s like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f**k them, but you don’t”. He later reportedly added: “I know, she’s just like: ‘Oh, f**k off!’ I was saying, she thinks you want to f**k her, but you don’t.
After the recordings were first published by The Guardian, Walliams publicly apologised for the comments.
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
