David Walliams has revealed his mother found him ‘lifeless on the bed’ when he tried to take his own life during his university days.
The comedian, 53, experienced depression during his youth and made an attempt on his life at Christmas when he returned home from university.
Speaking to The Times, David told how it was his mother Kathleen who found him and credited her with helping him get out of his depression.
He said: ‘The weight of my depression had become unbearable. I’d known something was wrong from an early age — a feeling of unbearable loneliness I could never escape.
‘Despair loomed over me that first Christmas back from university, and I couldn’t live with it any more. Mum discovered me lying lifeless on my bed, having taken an overdose.
‘It broke her heart. She cried for weeks. I am ashamed I was so selfish to put her through this, but her boundless love got me through.’
David Walliams has revealed his mother found him ‘lifeless on the bed’ when he tried to take his own life during his university days
David told how it was his mother Kathleen who found him and credited her with helping him get out of his depression (pictured together in March 2024)
David has always had a close relationship with his mother and said he always felt he could be ‘completely myself’ around her.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge said Kathleen encouraged his ‘flamboyant side’ and hired a wedding dress for him when he was cast as the queen in All the King’s Men while attending an all-boys senior school.
He added that his mother was always supportive of his comedy career, while his father Peter was more sceptical he could make a career out of it.
David has spoken before about his struggles with depression, including in his 2012 autobiography, Camp David.
He wrote: ‘Many people who suffer from depression confirm early morning is the worst time. At 4am you are totally alone.
‘There is no one to call. It was not just the terrible elemental sadness I felt, but fear. Fear of death, fear of life, fear of love, fear of everything.’
During his appearance on Bear Grylls’ ITV show Bear’s Mission in 2019, David said becoming a father to his son Alfred had changed his life for the better.
He said: ‘I’m certainly in a better place now and one great thing about becoming a parent, your whole life starts revolving around them and you do stop dwelling on your own problems so much, because you don’t have time to.’
He said: ‘The weight of my depression had become unbearable. I’d known something was wrong from an early age — a feeling of unbearable loneliness I could never escape’
David reportedly suffered suicidal thoughts after being dropped from Britain’s Got Talent, where he claims his mic was kept on all day, court papers have revealed
Court case: David (pictured in 2019) reportedly accused London-based Fremantle, which produces the reality series for ITV , of an unlawful data protection breach
David also reportedly suffered suicidal thoughts after he was dropped from Britain’s Got Talent, where he claims his microphone was kept on all day during filming, court papers have allegedly revealed.
The comedian left the ITV show in November 2021, two weeks after he was caught calling an elderly contestant a ‘c***’ during a break in filming.
It was revealed ten months after he left his £1.5million-a-year role as a judge that David was suing his former bosses at Britain’s Got Talent and seeking significant damages.
He reportedly accused London-based Fremantle, which produces the reality series for ITV, of an unlawful data protection breach.
According to High Court court papers obtained by The Sun, David told how he is fighting ‘active suicidal thoughts’ and has ‘lost the ability to be funny’ due to fears about his comments being leaked without his consent.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Mark Collins reportedly said in a report that the leak of the transcripts has ‘had a profound, severe and, at times, very worrying effect on his mental health’, with David suffering with sleep problems and negative thoughts.
Fremantle told The Sun: ‘We had a long and productive relationship with David and so are surprised and saddened by this legal action.
‘For our part, we remain available and open to dialogue to resolve this matter amicably.
‘However, in the interim, we will examine the various allegations and are prepared to robustly defend ourselves if necessary.’
Bruno Tonioli later took over from him as a judge on the talent show, signing a big money deal.
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