Huw Edwards has been named by his wife as the BBC presenter who has been at the centre of allegations in the past week.
Vicky Flind, the wife of the news reader, issued a statement issued on his behalf, and said he was was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and is now “receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future” as she asked for privacy for her family.
It comes as the Metropolitan Police has said no criminal offence has been committed by the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images.
Seen as the “face” of the BBC, Edwards announced the death of the Queen to the nation in September and has led coverage of the biggest events in Britain since the turn of the century, including elections, royal weddings and the 2012 Olympics. The broadcaster’s highest paid news presenter has anchored its flagship Ten O’Clock News bulletin for more than two decades.
The BBC reported the statement saying: “In light of the recent reporting regarding the ‘BBC Presenter’ I am making this statement on behalf of my husband Huw Edwards, after what have been five extremely difficult days for our family.
“I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children.
“Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.
“The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving in-patient hospital care where he’ll stay for the foreseeable future.
“Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published.
“To be clear Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday.
“In the circumstances and given Huw’s condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected.
“I know that Huw is deeply sorry that so many colleagues have been impacted by the recent media speculation. We hope this statement will bring that to an end.”
The Sun first reported that an undisclosed member of the BBC’s on-air presenting team had been accused of paying a then-17-year-old to pose for sexually explicit photos on Friday.
According to the newspaper, the family complained to the broadcaster in May, but Edwards was not immediately taken off air.
On Sunday, the presenter was then confirmed to have been suspended by the corporation due to the allegation.
The following day, the BBC reported on a letter from the young person in question’s legal team, claiming that The Sun’s allegations are “rubbish” and that “nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality”.
A spokesperson for The Sun responded: “We have reported a story about two very concerned parents who made a complaint to the BBC about the behaviour of a presenter and the welfare of their child.
“Their complaint was not acted upon by the BBC. We have seen evidence that supports their concerns. It’s now for the BBC to properly investigate.”
The Metropolitan Police subsequently asked the BBC to pause its own internal investigation into the matter, so they could take control of the inquiry.
Director-general Tim Daive pointed out on Tuesday that police officers were still at the “scoping” stage, and could still reach a conclusion that there is no justification for a further criminal investigation.
Since then, further allegations have been published, including BBC News’ claims that the then-unnamed presenter had sent abusive messages to a second person, aged in their early 20s.
The Sun also reported that the presenter had broken lockdown restrictions to meet up with a young person they had made contact with on a dating site.
Prior to being publicly named, Edwards had not commented on the allegations.
Edwards, who has five children, has worked for the BBC since 1984. He is paid between £435,000 and £439,999.