David Walliams’s former friend Jonathan Ross ‘horrified’ by allegations

Jonathan Ross has said he was “horrified” by the allegations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand, two men he says he was once “friendly” with.

Walliams, 55, has been accused of sexually inappropriate behaviour from a number women, including two who claimed they were “groomed” by the comedian when they were 15.

The allegations came a day after Brand, 51, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.

Walliams has denied any wrongdoing and insisted he is “not a sexual predator”, adding he is “devastated” that the allegations, published by The Guardian and ITV News, have been brought against him. His lawyers had taken a case to the High Court to try to stop the allegations being published.

During ITV’s reporting, a photograph resurfaced showing Ross alongside Walliams at an event also attended by one of the women who later accused Walliams of “highly inappropriate” behaviour. Lawyers for Walliams have said he denies behaving inappropriately.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Ross, who has appeared on TV shows with Walliams, said: “I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation. There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.

“My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”

The Metropolitan Police confirmed it contacted The Guardian and ITV News to “ensure that any potential victims” are “made aware of how they could report any criminal allegations to police”, after the sexual misconduct claims were made.

In the wake of the allegations, media minister Ian Murray said there is a “cultural problem” in the entertainment industry that needs to be “stamped out”.

He said: “There should be a zero-tolerance approach with support for the brave women, support for whistleblowers, and making sure the industry can clean up its own act.”

Mr Murray added that non-disclosure agreements are a “major part of the problem”.

He said: “If you’re up against a a major star such as Russell Brand, it’s very frightening to be able to report that.

“But also, you have to be confident the systems are in place for you to be able to do that confidently. That you’ll be listened to, and then there’ll be action taken.

“In all of these instances, it appears that people are frightened to take on that Goliath, and you can understand why when people are in positions of power, particularly men.

“It’s frightening. It’s career damaging, career limiting, if not even career ending.

“And these are the things that government are wrestling with in terms of how we put the best possible framework in place to support people, but also to make sure the culture changes, so we don’t have to support people because it doesn’t happen in the first place.”

Bridget Phillipson, equalities minister, paid tribute to the “bravery” of victims who have shared their experiences in recent days.

Speaking in the Commons, she said: “Women and girls should never have to shrink our lives or ambitions because of outdated, misogynistic attitudes, and the appalling testimonies we have heard in recent days underline how much further we have to go.

“I pay tribute to all of the women who have shown such bravery in coming forward and sharing their experiences.”

In light of the allegations, Downing Street said every organisation should “look hard at whether they are doing enough to keep people safe” and take any allegations seriously, .