Lily Allen accuses Dan Wootton of “bullying and constant surveillance” as allegations emerge

Lily Allen has accused broadcaster Dan Wootton of “bullying and constant surveillance”, following new criminal accusations against him emerging.

As reported by BBC, recent reports have included claims of the journalist offering media colleagues thousands of pounds for explicit material of themselves, and led to an online campaign to have him “cancelled”.

The broadcaster – who has worked for The Sun, News Of The World, MailOnline and appeared as the Showbiz correspondent on ITV’s Lorraine – has admitted making “errors of judgement in the past” but denied all allegations of criminality.

Publishers of The Sun and MailOnline have both confirmed that they are looking into the accusations raised against him, and Wootton has claimed that he has become a victim of a “witch hunt”.

“These past few days I have been the target of a smear campaign by nefarious players with an axe to grind,” he said on GB News. “I, like all fallible human beings, have made errors of judgement in the past. But the criminal allegations being made against me are simply untrue.”

He continued: “I would like nothing more than to address those spurious claims. I could actually spend the next two hours doing so, but on the advice of my lawyers I cannot comment further.”

Following the allegations, pop star and actress Lily Allen took to Twitter and claimed that she faced “bullying and constant surveillance” from Wootton.

She made the comments in a tweet, and shared a screenshot of one of Wootton’s updates, which contained an image of The Sun’s headline page showing her reportedly unconscious at Glastonbury, along with the headline “Wasted”.

“Whilst i’m able to take responsibility for my own actions i can hand on heart say that a big part of the reason i would get myself into these states was because of the relentless bullying and constant surveillance and scrutiny this man had me under. FOR NO REASON,” she wrote.

“Anyway, karma’s a bitch. I couldn’t be happier at this time in my life. absolutely thriving.”

whilst i’m able to take responsibility for my own actions i can hand on heart say that a big part of the reason i would get myself into these states was because of the relentless bullying and constant surveillance and scrutiny this man had me under. FOR NO REASON. Anyway, karmas… pic.twitter.com/QakdrgibQR

— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) July 18, 2023

Her comments about “scrutiny” seem to allude to various news lines by UK tabloids, which often centred around her struggles with addiction.

The 37-year-old musician has been open about her struggles with addiction in the past, particularly when she detailed her alcohol and drug abuse in her 2020 memoir My Thoughts Exactly. She also revealed that she is four years sober in an interview earlier this year, and said her life has “changed so much” because of it.

Allen then shared a second update earlier today (July 18), clarifying that she did not intend to appear as if she were blaming Wootton for her “dependencies”, and instead wanted to explain how “harassment” from the media impacted her and many others.

“Following on from my tweet yesterday, i see that some think i was blaming Dan Wooton for my dependencies,” she began. “I don’t expect people to understand the pain associated with being harassed in the very public way that i was for a good 15 years. but just because you can’t understand it, it doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen.”

She also made reference to Peaches Geldof, Amy Winehouse and Caroline Flack as having been “bullied and abused, subjected to the same kind of harassment that I and many others were” because of the media culture at the time.

following on from my tweet yesterday, i see that some think i was blaming Dan Wooton for my dependencies. I don’t expect people to understand the pain associated with being harassed in the very public way that i was for a good 15 years. but just because you can’t understand it,…

— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) July 19, 2023

“Dan Wootton last night claimed he is a victim of a smear campaign by nefarious players with an axe to grind… The irony is not lost on me, maybe now Dan can begin to understand what it felt like,” she added.

“I actually wish him well, i hope that he comes out the other side of whatever it is that he is facing, and that eventually it leads him to a place of happiness, peace and truth.”

Wootton continues to deny all claims raised against him, and has not yet commented on the statements made by Allen.

This is a developing story.