Huw Edwards named by wife as suspended BBC presenter accused in sex pics scandal

BBC News at Ten presenter Huw Edwards has been named as the suspended star who has been accused of giving cash sums to a teen for explicit images.

Vicky Flind, the wife of the news reader, on Wednesday (July 12) named him as the presenter facing the explosive allegations and admitted she was concerned for his well-being.

In her statement, she said her husband 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.

READ MORE: BBC star accused of paying teen for sexual explicit snaps could face jail term if guilty

The statement read: “In light of the recent reporting regarding the BBC presenter, I’m making this statement on behalf of my husband, Huw Edwards, after what has been five extremely difficult days for our family.

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“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.

“I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being.”

It comes after Metropolitan police confirmed that “no offence has been committed” by following the sexually explicit pictures scandal.

The Met police’s Specialist Crime Command say they have now concluded their assessment and have determined there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed.

In reaching this decision, officers have spoken to several parties including the BBC and the alleged complainant in addition to the alleged complainant’s family, both via another police force.

They say there is no further police action and as such, the Met has advised the BBC it can continue with its internal investigation.

The mother of the teen, now 20, said they were only 17 when it allegedly happened.

Edwards, 61, is said to have appeared in his underwear in a video call and paid more than £35,000 in exchange for sexual images.

The BBC confirmed they have suspended a male member of staff and have contacted the police about the allegations.

In a statement on Monday evening (July 10), the Metropolitan Police said: “Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command met with representatives from the BBC on the morning of Monday, 10 July. The meeting took place virtually.

“They are assessing the information discussed at the meeting and further enquiries are taking place to establish whether there is evidence of a criminal offence being committed.”

Edwards, if found guilty, could face a sentence of 26 weeks if he’s found guilty of possessing images of a child undertaking sexual acts which may increase if the alleged images were shared.

The star is known for being the BBC’s ‘go-to-guy’ when it comes to major news, and notably announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

He started his career as a reporter for local radio station Swansea Sound and then joined the BBC in 1984.

Edwards became Parliamentary Correspondent for BBC Wales and stayed in his role until 1999 before becoming the host of the BBC Six O’Clock News for four years.

He then moved over to the set of BBC Ten O’Clock News and has been the announcer of some huge news stories in the UK.

Edwards took over from David Dimbleby as the main host of the BBC’s election coverage and also fronted the channel’s coverage of major royal events such as Prince William and Prince Harry’s weddings to Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.

He has also been the face of the Festival of Remembrance, Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament.

The anchor recently admitted he had been thinking about his future at the corporation, saying to BBC Radio Cymru: “Now that a big milestone is here, which is 60 years old, it’s natural for a man to think ‘Am I going to continue in this job for another five years, or do I want to do something different?'”

He added: “The nightly news business, after 20 years, that can be taxing, even though I still enjoy the job. But I don’t think I’ll be doing that for long. Because I believe that, in the first place, I think it’s fair for the viewers to get a change.”

Dan Walker has shared his concerns for BBC presenter Huw Edwards’ family after his wife named him as the broadcaster facing sex pics allegations.

Taking to Twitter, the Channel 5 broadcaster has shared his support for the doting wife and their five children online during the “awful” situation.

He wrote: “This is an awful situation & will come as a big shock to many.

“Huw Edwards is clearly not in a good place at the moment and this must be terrible for his family.

“I just hope that whoever needs help – on all sides of this – gets the time, space & support they need to heal.”

Piers Morgan has also come out in support of Huw, saying on his TalkTV show: “He’s authoritative and above all, he’s always been trusted. By all accounts, the audiences love him. I know him personally, he’s always been a very stand-up guy.

“But today’s news that he is the presenter behind the BBC’s sex picture scandal comes as a huge shock to everyone who knows him, maybe to his family, certainly to millions of people who are used to watching him on the news each night.

“Probably a shock to his colleagues at the BBC. The speculation was becoming completely unsustainable.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk