Lily Allen issues scathing response over claims she 'led James Corden on' branding him the 'beggy friend'

Lilly Allen branded James Corden as her "beggy friend"

PA/GETTY
Lauren Williams

By Lauren Williams


Published: 29/07/2024

- 14:35

The singer felt like the Gavin and Stacy star 'came onto' her back in 2008

Lily Allen recently revealed she met James Corden during her BBC Three show Lily Allen and Friends back in 2008 and claimed he was a "beggy friend" - with the star soon after writing about their "romance" in his memoir.

The Smile singer said that the pair hung out for a "hazy" period of time afterwards, and added that Corden misread the signs and wrote in his book that she led him on.


During a recent episode of her podcast, Miss Me?, Allen said: "Yeah, James Corden was a bit of a beg friend for me. James Corden came on my chat show #and was like very flirtatious with me and we sort of made friends and I introduced him to a group of my friends.

"And I don't really remember it because that whole period of time was a bit hazy."

The 39-year-old continued: "I believe that he wrote about it in his book that, you know, that I was like leading him on or something - which I definitely wasn't.

"I think in his mind, maybe it went on a bit longer. But yeah, I'd say if I ever had a famous beggy friend, it was James Corden back in the day. He's not begging me anymore. I'm not begging him either. I can't do anything for him now, he's good."

James Corden and Lily Allen

James Corden and Lily Allen met back in 2008

BBC

Corden, 45, recently moved back to the UK after presenting The Late Late Show in America for nine years.

Releasing his memoir back in 2011, he said of Allen: "She's confident, funny and intelligent. I guess I went out with Lily four or five times in total – and not once was it a proper date.

"It always seemed to involve other people and not just the two of us."

He added that "reality dawned" on him when he was hanging out with Allen at her home with a few friends before she showed him her guest bedroom and told him goodnight.

Lily Allen

Lily Allen admitted she felt he was coming onto her during their chat

BBC

"Never have I felt such a douchebag. Who was I trying to kid? I remember lying in bed and realising how badly I'd misread the signs. There was no me and Lily, it was all in my mind," he penned.

This isn't the first time that Allen has shut down rumours that she led Corden on, after a clip from her talk show resurfaced, where she was seen asking the 45-year-old if he was single.

At the time, Corden told Lily: "Listen, ignore all those people over there, right, and I don't know you…" before she interrupted and joked: "Just f**k me … no, no," which resulted in the audience erupting in laughter and applause.

She laughed and said: "Thank you very much … that's how you get into a girl's pants. Well done, well done, James. Are you single at the moment?"

Lily Allen

Lily Allen claimed that James Corden was the "beggy friend" when they first met

PA

In 2017, the clip resurfaced on X where a user claimed she was "horny" for Corden, leaving her to quickly respond: "No, I wasn't horny for James Corden either.

"He came on to me in front of a studio audience, if I'd have shut him down, I would have been labelled cold or up myself or snobbish." (sic)

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