An actress who voiced concerns to the British press about inappropriate behavior by David Walliams fears she will never work in the TV industry again after the bestselling children’s book author was accused of using his celebrity status to groom women for sex.
Lucy Beaumont, 43, told Sky News on Tuesday that she was approached three years ago by a “young person” in her first job in the industry, who expressed concerns about the “Little Britain” star’s behind-the-scenes behavior.
“They took me aside and said, ‘I need to tell someone something,’ and confided in me some of his conduct that really concerned them,” Beaumont said of the disturbing interaction.
Beaumont said the unnamed “youngster” had to take girls – who he said were “definitely” over 16, the legal age of consent in the UK – to Walliams’ dressing room.
“What struck me and really concerned me was that he said these were very working class girls and some of them had never been to London before,” she said.
“They had never seen television. He felt vulnerable. That’s why I’m talking about this, because unless you talk about it frankly, I don’t think anything will change.
“At the time, he didn’t think there was a process, a way to let people within the TV station know what was going on and how he felt, and I was really concerned.”
Beaumont later said she was among the people who shared the allegations with the Guardian newspaper – which on Tuesday identified the former “Britain’s Got Talent” judge after his lawyers failed to obtain an injunction to prevent his being unmasked.
“I was really concerned and I was one of the whistleblowers. I was one of the people who let the Guardian know. People say, ‘Why tell the journalists?’ There is no HR department on television. There is no proper duty of care.
“There are no social services that you deal with, and that’s partly because the sector is very well managed. There hasn’t been a process that you can deal with.”
Beaumont then revealed she contacted one of the girls because she felt she had a duty of care – alluding to her past career in teaching and child protection – and offered to pay her legal fees.
“I was really worried about her,” the “Celebrity Traitors” star said. “I was really worried. I was really afraid she was going to kill herself because of this.”
“I offered to pay legal fees to try to get her some protection. I’m not necessarily saying what she said was true, but I wanted to help her because it was a world that she really didn’t fit into,” she said, before revealing that the girl had signed a non-disclosure agreement.
Beaumont expressed fears about how she thought sounding the alarm could endanger her future career.
“I don’t think I’ll ever work in (television) again. The reason why high-profile people don’t say anything is because they lose their jobs because you’re seen as being a troublemaker.
“I’m slowly going to start getting less work and since everyone in television is paid very well, we’re all paid very well, no one wants to mess that up.”
Beaumont said she would become a Pilates instructor if she never worked in the industry again, describing television as a career where people are “very replaceable”.
“A lot of other people can do your job,” she added.
“That’s what makes you watch what you say. My only goal is to try to change things because this has been on my mind for years and years.”
Walliams is accused by two women, now in their 30s, of using his celebrity status to groom them for sex.
They were just 15 when they first met Walliams – and told the Guardian how their interactions left a lasting mark on their lives.
One claimed to have met Walliams at a fan event, where he called her a “very attractive lady”. She said she spoke to him on the phone and via email for years before they began having sex.
The other alleged Walliams began sexual contact weeks after they met – and, when they agreed to stop, they allegedly said they “should wait until she was 16 and…stay in touch.”
Walliams denied any wrongdoing in a statement released Tuesday, writing: “Looking back, I realize that at times I behaved rashly towards other people with whom I had casual sexual relationships.
“And while an imbalance of power is inevitable when a party is famous, abusing that power is a whole different thing and something I have never done,” he continued.
“I am not a sexual predator. I did not break the law, but I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 or 20 years ago are now expressing their hurt or anger towards me.”
The Guardian and Independent Television News have been jointly investigating Walliams for months – but Walliams sought an injunction against ITN as well as Guardian News and Media, which wanted to publish the allegations with his name, but he lost his bid on November 3 when the judge ruled he could be named.
Before Walliams’ defeat at the High Court, his lawyer, Sara Mansoori KC, had argued that if her client’s name was published he would attempt suicide, as he had attempted to do twice before.
She explained the charges to the court: “The only reason they would not be fatal is because the applicant would be locked up and prevented from fulfilling his desire to end his life.
“The plaintiff attempted suicide twice following these events, was hospitalized for months, was subject to involuntary detention, and was examined by multiple doctors – now more than 10.”
Mansoori also said that although the plaintiff denies the allegations, he “does not intend to return to public life.”
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