Comedian and children's author David Walliams has been removed from his role as an ambassador for a leading UK children's charity. The decision by The Children's Trust follows allegations of inappropriate behaviour made against the television star.
Charity Severs Ties After Ambassador Review
The Children's Trust, which supports children with brain injury and neurodisability, announced that Walliams is no longer an ambassador. A spokesperson for the charity confirmed the move, stating it came after a review of its ambassador programme conducted earlier this year. Walliams had been appointed as a celebrity supporter in January 2018, joining figures like singer Dame Elaine Paige and actress Joely Richardson.
The charity's website previously featured a photograph of Walliams holding his dog Bert during a 2018 visit to its headquarters. Walliams had been a supporter for several years, even visiting on Christmas Day to read to children. Upon his initial appointment, he expressed being "absolutely thrilled" and praised the "incredibly inspiring young people" at the charity.
Publishing and Public Appearances Face Fallout
This development is the latest in a series of professional setbacks for the Little Britain star linked to the allegations. His publisher, HarperCollins, dropped him last year following claims of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff. One specific allegation involved a female employee who later left the company with a five-figure settlement. Walliams has denied any wrongdoing and stated he was not informed of the allegations at the time.
Further consequences have emerged in the literary world. Waterstones confirmed that Walliams will no longer appear at its annual children's book festival in Dundee this February. He had been scheduled for an hour-long talk and Q&A session on February 7. A spokesperson for the bookseller stated the decision was confirmed by HarperCollins.
Promotional materials for Walliams's books have also been affected. At Waterstones' Victoria branch in London, a card describing him as an "author of loads of laugh-aloud funny children's books" was removed over the weekend. Several independent bookshops across the UK have reportedly taken his titles off display.
Broadcasting and Legacy of Charity Work
The BBC has stated it has severed ties with Walliams, confirming there are "no future projects directly involving him." However, television adaptations of his books Mr Stink and The Boy in the Dress were broadcast recently.
Walliams has a long history of charitable endeavours. He was appointed an OBE for services to charity and the arts in 2007. His feats include swimming the English Channel in 2006, raising over £1 million for Sport Relief, and undertaking swims across the Strait of Gibraltar in 2008 and the length of the River Thames in 2011. He also became a Patron of Cardiac Risk in the Young in 2006.
The removal from The Children's Trust ambassador role marks a significant shift in his public profile, distancing a major charity from the star amid ongoing controversy.
