Truth about Simon Cowell and David Walliams’s bitter feud: They were once the best of mates, but KATIE HIND reveals the pair are no longer speaking – and friends say the X Factor mogul fears what might come out next

They were once the best of friends, whose cheeky on-screen banter made Britain’s Got Talent one of the highest-rated programs on television for the ten series in which they appeared together.

Off-screen, Simon Cowell and David Walliams were in regular contact and enjoyed dinners in chic Mayfair restaurants.

But two years after former judge David Walliams left BGT when audio of him making derogatory comments about off-camera contestants was leaked to a newspaper, The Mail can reveal how he and Cowell ‘no longer get on at all’ as the feud between the couple became increasingly bitter.

Those who know the couple say Cowell has now made every effort to distance himself from the Little Britain comedian. He even told industry friends that he was happy to see the humiliated star leave the BGT judging panel and confirmed that he has cut ties with him.

Eagle-eyed fans will notice that Cowell has also unfollowed Walliams on social media.

And this week, Walliams managed to drag their already toxic relationship into even more bitter, childish territory when he revealed on TV how he named his dog Eric – the same name as Cowell’s 11-year-old son.

Certainly not a coincidence – and probably meant to annoy his former friend.

But professional differences aside, what could have happened to drive such a big wedge between the two men who were once so close that they were rumored to have a “bromance”?

It is true that Walliams left the show under an obvious cloud and would have embarrassed Cowell, who created Britain’s Got Talent, and saw it as his baby.

Microphones had picked him up using shockingly vile and misogynistic language about the contestants, describing one woman as “the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub and think you want to fuck them but you don’t.”

The comments were made while Walliams and his fellow judges Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden were off air. Apparently, however, it was agreed that all their comments would be recorded for possible use.

Walliams apologized, but nevertheless sued production company Fremantle for misusing private information and breaching data laws. The company apologized and said the matter had been resolved and that Walliams would have quietly walked away with around £5 million.

But now that the case has been solved, friends of Cowell have mysteriously informed the media that he and Walliams are no longer speaking to each other. There’s a theory that Cowell doesn’t want to be associated with his old friend because he’s nervous about what he’ll do – or what might come out – next.

A friend said: ‘Simon and David had quite a bitter row, or at least that’s what he said [Simon’s] friends want to go out.

‘It’s strange, David and Simon were so close, they adored each other. But he now desperately wants to distance himself from David, it makes you wonder what’s going on.’

One thing is certain: Walliams has not had a major television appearance since leaving BGT. However, on Wednesday he made a bizarre comeback – dressing up as a Christmas tree to appear on ITV’s all-female chat show Loose Women to promote his latest children’s book, Super Sleuth. For some, it can be seen as a fall from grace.

With his face through a hole in the life-size, tinsel-covered prop, he discussed his podcast and promised he would make a TV comeback with fellow comedian Matt Lucas.

He also managed to mention Eric the border collie, in his typical deadpan style

A friend hesitated: ‘Imagine what Simon must have thought of that!’

It was quite a contrast to 2012 when starmaker Cowell hired Walliams as a judge on BGT. He was said to have been paid six figures for the job and was instantly loved by all generations.

Viewers loved his jokes and the campness immediately gave him a niche that set him apart from his fellow judges.

ITV’s golden boy Walliams’ world began to crumble in November 2022, with the leak of those crude comments.

In a statement, he said: “These were private conversations and like most conversations with friends, they were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.’

Walliams, who shot to fame with Little Britain in the mid-1990s, was later dropped by Cowell.

It is believed his aggressive response to the scandal has further irritated Cowell, who hired former Strictly star pal Bruno Tonioli to replace him on the judging panel.

Friends of Cowell have commented: ‘Simon was furious at the way David reacted when he left the show and now sees him in a very different light – while David blames Simon for not standing by him when some of his recordings be rude and insulting about the show The show’s contestants were leaked by a disgruntled production staff.

“He thinks Simon was secretly happy about it, and to be honest, he probably was.”

In fact, BGT sources tell me that Cowell wanted Walliams off the show before his outburst, fearing there might be trouble.

Despite playing along with David’s flirtatious camp in the past, those familiar with the situation say he finds the strip “unbearable” and feels the joke was ultimately very poor.

An insider added: ‘The jokes about Simon being gay stopped being funny a long time ago – he’s happily settled down with a family and it eventually got annoying. It was quite insulting to his partner, Lauren [Silverman]too – who ultimately didn’t find it really funny.

“He just wouldn’t drop it. Some of his stuff started to feel extremely immature.”

“Towards the end of their collaboration, Simon had grown a bit tired of David’s over-the-top behavior, but he knew he was popular with viewers so he left things as they were and went with it,” says a source close . to the couple.

‘But since then things have really gone wrong between them, they don’t even talk anymore and all that banter has turned into a lot of bitterness. They used to hang out together, but now they wouldn’t dream of that anymore.’

Friends of Cowell say that while he once loved Walliams, he now looks at him with fresh eyes. He tells his friends that he is “nothing like his TV act” behind the scenes and “only to himself”, adding: “He thinks he’s totally fake and quite unpleasant.”

Another show source said Walliams was also “quite jealous” of Cowell, citing his greater wealth, greater success and the fact he is much more influential in the show business world.

“David is ruthlessly ambitious,” the friend said, “so his natural instinct is to try to make fun of someone who is actually further down the pecking order than him.

‘He’s clearly used to being the most important person in a room, but with Simon he couldn’t feel that.’

And when asked in more recent interviews about his time on the show and his former boss, the comic was tellingly rude – insisting he no longer watches the hit series, and joking that Cowell has been the inspiration for ‘evil’ characters in his successful series. books.

What is clear to those in the know is that there is very little chance of a showbiz reunion for this once successful duo.

As one concludes: ‘They will certainly never work together again – but it’s entirely possible they’ll never even speak again and Cowell is glad everyone knows that.’