David Walliams’s relationships were ‘damaged or destroyed’ as part of phone-hacking intrusion

David Walliams’s lawyer has said that the comedian’s relationships were “damaged or destroyed” by acts of phone hacking.

The Little Britain star was among a number of celebrities to have formally settled damages against Mirror Group Newspapers at the High Court, it was announced on Thursday (25 February) morning.

Walliams alleged that the newspaper publisher targeted him between 2003 and 2010, with his friends and colleagues being targeted unlawfully to obtain private information.

Roddy Chisholm Batten, who was legally representing Walliams, told the court that the Britain’s Got Talent judge had “suffered distress and embarrassment” through the misuse of his information.

“By intercepting his voicemails, MGN would have been privy to messages of a highly personal nature,” he said. “Many articles identified by Mr Walliams were highly intrusive and were published at a time of intense media intrusion into his life.

Read more: David Walliams among celebrities to settle phone hacking claims

“This had a very significant impact on both his personal life and his professional life. Many relationships were damaged or destroyed as a result of MGN’s conduct and this is a source of huge regret to Mr Walliams.”

Walliams, along with Martin Clunes, Roxanne Pallett, Antony Cotton, Mark and Samantha Womack and Caroline Quentin and her husband, received “substantial compensation” and a public apology after bringing legal action against MGN, which publishes The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People.