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David Walliams was seen for the first time since revealing he will be spending Christmas without his son, whose turn it is to spend it with ex-wife Lara Stone, while stepping out in north London on Thursday.
The Little Britain star, 54, who was ‘cancelled’ in 2022 after making offensive comments and vile sexual remarks during a break in Britain’s Got Talent auditions, cut a sombre figure as he was picked up in a chauffeur-driven Range Rover.
Dressed casually in a grey sweater and carrying a black jacket, David sported a stubbly beard while climbing into the car’s passenger seat.
The devastated star revealed earlier this week that he will be spending the festive season apart from son Alfred, 12, who he welcomed during his five-year marriage to Lara.
David, who divorced the model in 2015, shared how he explored his sadness in his brand new children’s book Santa And Son.
It centres around a boy called Elvis who is being raised by his single mother, with the young boy’s father a grumpy retired Santa.
A bond is struck when they meet and have an adventure together.
Speaking to Mike Hosking’s breakfast show in New Zealand, David said: ‘This dad in the book is sort of a deadbeat dad but there’s definitely a theme running through about parents, separated parents.
‘And so I was thinking a bit about sometimes the pain you feel as a parent when you don’t have your child at Christmas.
‘I think at Christmas there’s a sort of thing that we’ve all got to be happy but there’s often sort of melancholy creeps in.’
However, David added that he’s looking forward to taking Alfred away for a trip to the Maldives before the big day.
David and Lara, who wed in Claridge’s hotel in 2010, saw their divorce hearing last just 60 seconds when they were granted a decree nisi.
Lara has now created a lavish new life with her handsome property developer husband, David Grievson.
Years later, Lara and Grievson met on Tinder in 2018 and confirmed their engagement shortly after in 2020.
The happy couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony one year later, a far cry from her and David’s plush £30,000 nuptials in Claridge’s.
Lara and Grievson, founder of property design company Coburn, live a settled life together in London and have been renovating their vintage property over the past few years.
Grievson proved he is every inch the doting stepfather in a rare interview where he spoke about living with his stepson.
Speaking about the renovation with PrimeResi, he told: ‘More excitingly, it meant making a Narnia room for Alf, my stepson, in the eaves behind the clothes rail in his bedroom cupboard.’
‘I took the view that Lara and Alf were the most important clients I could ever have’, he added.
‘I have done a lot of interior design as part of developing over the years and I am meticulous when it comes to finishes. What I didn’t know before is how much I’d enjoy doing the project with Lara or how useful she is a sounding board!’
Lara and Walliams’s whirlwind romance began back in 2009 when David took her to a Chelsea football match and later filled her home with flowers.
He proposed in Los Angeles in 2010, before the pair married at London’s exclusive Claridge’s Hotel in May 2010 – with Lara wearing a £30,000 lace and satin dress.
Guests were left somewhat uneasy when they chose Beauty And The Beast for their first dance.
However after welcoming their son in May 2013, they divorced in 2015 with their hearing lasting less than 60 seconds.
The star cited Lara’s ‘unreasonable behaviour’ for the ‘quickie divorce’, with their case being put through alongside 20 other couples.
When the former couple first separated, it was reported Lara took their dog, Bert, with her when she left.
The Daily Mail reported at the time that Walliams didn’t want to give up on the idea of winning Lara back.
‘David’s pushing her hard for a reconciliation,’ a source said. ‘He admits he’s not perfect, but no marriage is, and he is a good person who wants the best for her and their son and will provide a financially secure future for them both.’
Pressures of work were to blame, in which some suggested that they simply bumped up against a total culture clash – his intensity and extremely bright, while Lara was more laid back and at home.
Walliams hasn’t had a long-term relationship since his divorce from Lara and last year he claimed that he is ‘probably non-binary’ as he candidly opened up about his sexuality and gender identity.
There was a time when David was the toast of the entertainment industry and one of the most eligible bachelors in showbiz, equally loved by the audiences he charmed with his witty persona and extravagant character.
But since the star was forced off Britain’s Got Talent for making an offensive comment about a pensioner and vile sexual remarks about another female contestant during a break in auditions, the comedian’s career has not quite recovered – nor has his relationship with Simon Cowell.
He used to describe himself as Simon’s ‘Number one girl’ on BGT, and was in the habit of leaping on the music mogul at red carpet events. However, the Daily Mail revealed last year that the pair ‘are no longer on speaking terms at all’.
Those who know them both say Simon has now gone to every possible length to distance himself from the Little Britain star, with a source describing how the end of his BGT career hit the ‘troubled soul’ comedian hard.
Meanwhile, David, who hails from suburban Banstead in Surrey, has in the past been tortured by crushes on unattainable women, and many of his supposed relationships have turned out to be sexless.
He has been single since his divorce from Lara Stone a decade ago, the mother of his son Alfred. This week he shared his pain at not spending Christmas with the 12-year-old, because it’s his turn to be with his mother, stepfather and half brother.
When he left BGT David revealed he suffered suicidal thoughts and at times thought he’d ‘lost his ability to be funny’, turning instead to his passion for writing – with his latest children’s book Santa And Son released in time for Christmas.
Although the best-selling author continues to succeed on the publishing front, David appears to be struggling with getting back into mainstream TV and is instead fronting a podcast with his former Little Britain co-star Matt Lucas, Making A Scene.
Meanwhile, David found himself on the rough end of ‘cancel culture’ when the show he co-created with Matt Lucas in 2003, Little Britain, was yanked from the air in 2022.
The hit sketch show, which poked fun at British social stereotypes, included segments that featured white actors in black face.
In an apparent reaction to the Black Lives Matter protests, Netflix pulled the show along with Come Fly With Me, also created by David and Matt.
Later the BBC and BritBox both confirmed they had also decided to remove Little Britain saying ‘times have changed’ since the show first aired.
