COMEDIAN David Walliams has opened up about his gender and sexuality, describing himself as “probably” non-binary.
The former Britain’s Got Talent judge made the candid admission during an interview on the Uncomfortable conversations podcast, hosted by Australian presenter Josh Szeps.
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During a dialogue about gender politics and identity, the Little Britain star admitted that if were a young person today, he’d probably identify as “non-binary.”
When asked how he’d describe himself if he were a teenager now, David answered.
“I don’t know. I mean, I think in a way I’d probably say I’m non-binary, I think. Probably. I don’t know exactly.”
He also said that as a drama student he was inclined to be more experimental.
He said: “I sort of think, where would I be positioning myself maybe, if I was now 19 or 20. Because I went to Bristol University and did a drama degree.
“And I think that course is where you’re probably… if there’s a group of people who are going to be most interested in that sort of area, most drawn to that area, it’s probably going to be drama students.”
The 53-year-old described how he enjoyed going out to gay clubs during his student days with his girlfriend at the time in tow.
“I mean, it’s interesting. So I had this girlfriend at the end of university and we used to go out – I used to go out – we used to go to like gay clubs and dance for like six hours and I’d be wearing like a skirt or stuff like that.”
Then podcast host Josh asked the comedian and author a direct question about his sexuality.
He said: “And what about your sexuality? You always lean into Britain’s most famous bi-curious comedian. Was that a real reflection of your adolescence did you fool around with guys?”
The Boy in the Dress author then responded by saying: “Yeah I’d say so, but again it seems odd because these things were a big deal to talk about.”
But then the TV star and author underscored that sexuality doesn’t need to be set in stone as he descirbed the differences between himself and his former comedy Little Britain co-star, Matt Lucas.
“Sometimes I think my life would be a lot easier if I was just gay. Because I’m really drawn to gay things. I really like gay culture. It’s interesting because Matt Lucas is gay.
“And he’s like into football and he’s into musicals as well, actually… But yeah I’d say I’m probably sort of camper than him. It’s hard, I don’t know.”
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In light of the conversations and awareness of gender identity in the last decade, David also suggested that his debut novel, The Boy in the Dress, was ahead of its time.
He said: “The Boy in the Dress 15 years ago, which was sort of seen as a bit more daring then, and it’s always something – I’ve always sort of felt like celebrating difference on, so I’ve always thought it’s exciting.”
The writer and comedian has an 11-year-old son, Alfred from his relationship with model Lara Stone.
The pair married in a lavish ceremony in London’s Claridge’s hotel in 2010 and were together for five years before filing for divorce in 2015.
Since making his name in TV comedy through his popular sketch shows, Little Britain and as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, David has become one of the most successful children’s author’s of all time, selling 50 million copies of his books worldwide.
David Walliams career so far
By Conor O’Brien
Comedian, actor and writer David Walliams has enjoyed a varied career spanning almost three decades.
The star (who was born David Williams) has found success across a wide range of formats.
Here is a look back at some of his biggest career moments.
- Little Britain: David co-created this fan favourite sketch comedy series alongside Matt Lucas. Originating on the radio, the series aired on BBC Three (then BBC One) between 2003 and 2006. David and Matt also played many characters between them as well as writing the show.
- Charity work: In July 2006, David swam the English Channel for Sport Relief – it took him 10 hours and 34 minutes to swim the 22 mile stretch. David raised over £1million in donations. Five years later, he swam the length of the River Thames to raise more than £2million for Sport Relief. In March 2010, he took part in an end-to-end cycle journey across the UK for Sport Relief. This raised over £1million.
- Britain’s Got Talent: David joined the judging panel of the popular ITV show in 2012. He appeared alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon – the latter joining BGT at the same time. After a decade, he left the programme and was replaced by Bruno Tonioli.
- Children’s novels: Aside from on-camera work, the star has a very successful career writing books for children. Some of his titles include The Boy in the Dress, Mr Stink and Gangsta Granny. Altogether, eight of David’s books have been adapted for TV movies on BBC One.
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