Simon Cowell is seen for first time since sexual misconduct claims against his former friend and BGT judge David Walliams emerged

Simon Cowell was seen for the first time since his former friend and Britain's Got Talent judge David Walliams was accused of sexual assault and preying on teenage girls. 

Cowell, who hasn't spoken to Walliams since 2022, was pictured outside Erewhon Market in Calabasas after doing his food shop on Saturday.

The music mogul, 67, is currently living stateside in his Malibu home after recovering from back surgery following a near-fatal e-bike crash.

Cowell distanced himself from Walliams four years ago which sources said was after he feared that his fellow BGT star was 'not a good person'.

This week, questions have been raised over Cowell and Walliams' relationship, following claims that the comedian 'abused his status' on BGT and engaged in 'inappropriate and exploitative sexual activities' with 'a large number' of young women and girls. 

Notoriously, Walliams left the show in 2022 after audio emerged of him making disparaging remarks about contestants off-camera, including calling one a 'c***' and describing another female as 'like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f*** them, but you don't'.

Friends of the BGT creator claim he hasn't spoken to Walliams since he left the show, stating: 'Simon hasn't had anything to do with David for a long time now, and he won't ever again. 

'He is pleased that David went from BGT and that it has now moved on without him.'

Their interactions on the show have since gone viral, with fans looking back at their communication with fresh eyes, and noting several eyebrow-raising exchanges.

Walliams denies all the accusations, which were first published by The Guardian and ITV on Tuesday after an injunction was lifted in the High Court.

On Tuesday, Walliams was named as the celebrity who had sought an injunction to prevent the publication of claims of sexual assault, saying he would take his own life if the allegations became public. 

One accuser, named as Jade by ITV News and The Guardian, alleges she was sexually assaulted by Walliams when she was 15 after he contacted her online.

Jade claims they met in Soho before he drove her to his home in his Aston Martin. She alleges Walliams sexually assaulted her at Supernova Heights, the mansion once owned by Oasis star Noel Gallagher.

'He asked me to come over and gave me a hug. That's when he kissed me,' Jade alleged of Walliams, who was 36 at the time.

'He lifted my top up and sucked on my breast and then tried to put my hand down his trousers. That's when I pulled away and said, "No". He had an erection at the time,' she said.

'I wasn't ready for sex. I didn't want to do that, with him or with anyone. I didn't want to be touched in that way at all. I mean, I was only 15. It's a sexual assault. It's grooming. It's completely wrong in every way.'

She claimed she had already confided in him that she had previously been sexually abused by someone else as a child, to which he responded: 'Sorry to hear that.'

In a statement to ITV News and The Guardian, Walliams said: 'Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with.

'I realise I did not always take people's feelings properly into account. That is something I regret.

'Whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did.

'I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law. I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to 20 years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.'