DAVID Walliams has denied abusing his power as a celebrity in relationships with women but said he realised he had “behaved thoughtlessly”.Walliams has been named as the famous man who failed to get an injunction to prevent the publication of allegations including sexual misconduct against him.The 55-year-old brought legal action against Independent Television News (ITN) and Guardian News and Media (GNM), publisher of The Guardian, ahead of the two organisations reporting allegations against him, including of sexual misconduct and potential criminal activity.Lawyers for the media organisations previously told the High Court in London the allegations involved Walliams’ alleged “abuse of power and status” to contact young women and try to engage in “inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities”.READ MORE: Edinburgh Academy pupils suffered ‘dreadful abuse’ over 40 years, inquiry findsWalliams denied the claims and unsuccessfully sought an injunction to prevent these publications because of the risk he would take his own life, after two previous suicide attempts.The author was granted anonymity during the proceedings, which was lifted after his injunction bid was dismissed and GNM and ITN published their investigations on Tuesday.In a letter addressed to the Guardian and ITV News journalists working on the story, the comedian said: “Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with… I realise I did not always take people’s feelings properly into account. That is something I regret.”And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did …”I am not a sexual predator … I have not broken the law … I am devastated that some of the women I met 10 to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”(Image: Ian West/PA Wire)Downing Street said the allegations against Walliams were “deeply troubling”.Asked about the investigation by Independent Television News and Guardian News and Media, publisher of The Guardian, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I don’t think we’ve seen the full extent of the reporting.”They’re clearly deeply troubling allegations, and the Government will doubtless respond to them during the course of the day, I’m sure.”
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