David Walliams has taken aim at Simon Cowell a year after he was axed from Britain’s Got Talent.

After a decade as one of the judges on the ITV reality talent show, David was fired and replaced by Bruno Tonioli when leaked recordings revealed he’d made scathing remarks about contestants.

The comedian, 53, apologised for his offensive comments but then took production company FremantleMedia to court, suing them for ‘significant damages’.

He eventually reached a settlement, reported to be around £5 million, but has remained tight-lipped about the fallout since then.

In a Q&A segment with young fans, David was asked by a boy called Jasper if ‘any of the characters in your books based on real people?’

‘That is a good question. Whenever I’m trying to think of an evil villain I always think “what would Simon Cowell do?”’ he quipped, leaving hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley bursting out in laughter.

David then went on to explain how a Britain’s Got Talent contestant called Cockroach Ken also inspired a character in a previous book.

He then told kids to ‘keep their eyes and ears open as you never know when you might have a good idea for a story’.

Earlier this year David was questioned about his controversial exit from BGT.

David was axed from the ITV talent series after a decade last year (Picture: Dymond/ Thames/ Syco/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

He previously dodged questions about leaving the show (Picture: Dymond/ Thames/ Syco/ Rex/ Shutterstock)

During an appearance on Lorraine, he was asked by host Lorraine Kelly if he’d been watching the latest season of BGT and whether he was ‘sorry’ about how he left.

After looking briefly surprised by the question he responded: ‘I’ve been travelling a lot, so I haven’t had a chance to see it.’

He then went on to say he’s been enjoying all the extra time he’d had to be creative and continued to talk about his writing pursuits and other upcoming projects.’

Although his response made it clear he wasn’t ready to discuss the matter, some fans said his response was ‘diplomatic’ while others labelled him ‘bitter’.

After the case was settled late last year, Fremantle said it was ‘sincerely sorry’ that his ‘private conversations’ were published.

Golf star Jordan Spieth has hit back against rumors circulating online, calling them a “set-up” and claiming he is the target of blackmail.

The three-time major champion took to social media to set the record straight after false information began spreading across various platforms.

In a strongly worded post, Spieth stated, “There’s a lot of misinformation being shared right now. This is nothing more than a calculated set-up, and I am being blackmailed.”

Although he did not elaborate on the nature of the rumors, Spieth emphasized that the claims have no basis in truth and warned fans not to believe unverified stories circulating on the internet.

Spieth’s team is reportedly investigating the origins of the rumors and has hinted that legal action could be pursued against those responsible.

“We’re living in a time where anyone can say anything online without evidence,” one of Spieth’s representatives shared in a statement. “Jordan is committed to maintaining his focus on the game and protecting his reputation from these baseless attacks.”

With no official comment yet from law enforcement, fans are rallying in support of Spieth, expressing their disappointment in the prevalence of online misinformation.

Zoe Kravitz and Austin Butler were caught sharing a steamy kiss on the New York City set of Darren Aronofsky’s new film Caught Stealing on Wednesday.

Both wearing bulky jackets, the actors had their arms wrapped around one another as they locked lips for the cameras.

Butler, 33 — who plays a former baseball player who finds himself mixed up with criminals — towered over Kravitz, 35, during the night shoot.

They were surrounded by lighting equipment as two cameramen worked to get the perfect shot.

Butler and Kravitz’ kiss was strictly a work obligation as they’re both in serious, real-life relationships.

Butler has been dating super model Kaia Gerber, 23, since late 2021 after her split from Euphoria star Jacob Elordi, 27.

Kravitz is engaged to Magic Mike hunk Channing Tatum, 41. Channing popped the question last October after two years of dating.

Earlier in the day, Austin looked battered and bruised as he and Zoe filmed scenes outside an NYC building.

Sporting a fake black eye and bruised left cheek, the Oscar nominee hobbled out of a nearby building with one arm wrapped around Kravitz’s shoulders.

Butler was wearing a white hospital gown, a blue robe and sneakers.

The duo were filmed standing of the sidewalk as Kravitz waved down a taxi with a large plastic bag in one hand.

Butler kept a baseball cap low over his eyes as he slowly crawled into the backseat of the cab.