BBC presenter Huw Edwards has confirmed he has not resigned from the BBC after he has been named as the BBC presenter facing allegations over payments for sexually explicit images.
Claims made in The Sun alleges an unnamed news reader paid a young person around £35,000 over three years, from the age of 17, for sexually explicit images. Mr Edwards was named in a statement issued by his wife Vicky Flind on Wednesday evening.
According to the Press Association news agency, sources have made it clear to the PA news agency that Mr Edwards, 61, has not resigned. In a statement released to PA, Vicky Flind, said: “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.
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"I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children."
Ms Flind shared that Mr Edwards is 'suffering from serious mental health issues' and is now in hospital amid a 'serious episode' after recent speculation has 'greatly worsened matters'. His mental health decline comes after Mr Edwards has spoken out about his battle with depression and anxiety over some 20 years.
“Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years," continued the statement. “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 statement comes as the Metropolitan Police said no criminal offence had been committed by the presenter. A BBC spokesperson said: “We have seen the statement from the police confirming they have completed their assessment and are not taking further action. We’re grateful to them for completing this work at speed.
“The police had previously asked us to pause our fact-finding investigations and we will now move forward with that work, ensuring due process and a thorough assessment of the facts, whilst continuing to be mindful of our duty of care to all involved.”
Claims about the unnamed BBC presenter first surfaced in The Sun newspaper on Friday. A lawyer representing the young person has since claimed the allegations were 'rubbish'.
In a letter reported by BBC News At Six, the lawyer said: “For the avoidance of doubt, nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality and the allegations reported in The Sun newspaper are ‘rubbish’.”
The legal representative also said the young person told The Sun on Friday evening before the newspaper published the story that there was “no truth to it”, the BBC reported. The lawyer reportedly called the article on the front page “inappropriate”, claiming in the letter that the mother and the young person are estranged.
