BGT: David Walliams says the judges are ‘irrelevant’
David Walliams is said to be suffering from suicidal thoughts following his exit from Britain’s Got Talent.
In court papers seen by The Sun, the television star discusses his mental health and claims show bosses “spied on him”.
His High Court writ against the makers of the ITV show, Fremantle Media, the 52-year-old reportedly claims that they “recorded, transcribed and retained” private conversations for “ten years”.
David is seeking up to £10 million after being dropped after his derogatory comments and negative remarks about contestants auditioning for BGT in 2020 were made public.
In a 21-page legal document his lawyers are said to claim: “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.”
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David is said to be fighting “active suicidal thoughts” and has “lost the ability to be funny”.
The writ says fellow judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon were spied on too in regards to conversations that were on mic.
His lawyers are also believed to have said in the document: “He was extremely upset to learn that private information, including many highly sensitive personal matters, had been recorded without his consent or knowledge, transcribed, shared internally among the Defendant’s (Fremantle) employees, and retained apparently indefinitely.
“Furthermore, the Defendant’s breaches have affected the Claimant’s ability to perform.”
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It’s claimed that the author feels like his “reputation and career” has suffered due to various remarks being made public by The Guardian last year.
After these comments came to light, David released a statement and apologised for the comments he had made while filming the show at the London Palladium.
He said at the time: “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.”
In the High Court writ, it’s alleged that the author believed “these remarks would never be made public — not least because the very nature of the remarks made them obviously unsuitable for broadcast”.
Express.co.uk has contacted David Walliams and ITV for comment. His lawyers declined to comment to The Sun.
Fremantle has 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.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year.
Alternatively, you can find more information on the Samaritans website: https://www.samaritans.org/
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