Huw Edwards has been named as the BBC presenter who was taken off air due to allegations he paid a teenager for sexually explicit photos.
The 61-year-old’s wife made a statement via the BBC, saying he is currently in hospital after a serious mental health episode.
Who is Huw Edwards?
Edwards has hosted the BBC’s flagship evening news show for 20 years. In September, he was the presenter who announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II on the public broadcaster.
He’s been accused of paying a young person almost $AU70,000 across three years, from when the person was 17 to 20.
Edwards’ wife’s statement:
Vicky Flind, Edwards’ wife, said: “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.”
Flind also apologised on her husband’s behalf to his colleagues at the BBC who were subject to speculation.
Allegations facing Edwards:
Allegations against Edwards were first made by British tabloid newspaper The Sun last week.
They didn’t name Edwards, but described him as a “top BBC star” known to millions of viewers. The BBC suspended Edwards on Sunday.
This week, a second young person accused Edwards of sending abusive online messages after meeting on a dating app.
Edwards’ wife said he intends on responding to the allegations “once well enough to do so”.
Police investigation:
The London Metropolitan Police have dropped their investigation into the first allegations, after finding “no information” that Edwards broke the law.
They are yet to investigate allegations from the second young person, as these claims have not been reported to police.
The BBC will continue its own internal investigation into the conduct of Edwards.
