To put it simply, Huw Edwards is a Welsh icon. The 61-year-old, who was born in Bridgend, is widely considered one of the most recognisable faces on British television. Over the years, Huw has achieved the 'impossible' and made his mark on an English news channel with, potentially, the strongest Welsh accent in the business. Aside from his stellar coverage of some of the world's biggest news stories, the broadcaster and newsreader has also earned the respect of social media users with his stellar feed of pure Welsh pride, signature news stance and, of course, his serious selfies.
Last year Huw was drafted in for one of the most important jobs in his career - delivering the news that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had died. Huw's calm and collected manner during the early evening BBC News bulletin on Thursday, September 8 was universally praised as he announced the tragic news.
Huw will once again be front and centre during the BBC’s coverage of King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s Coronation. He will be providing commentary as the doors of Westminster Abbey open to greet those arriving for the ceremony. Speaking ahead of the momentous occasion Huw said: "People will be relying on the BBC for coverage of what promises to be a memorable weekend." Sophie Raworth, Clare Balding, Anita Rani and JJ Chalmers will also contribute to the day’s coverage.
Known for being the BBC's 'go-to-guy' when it comes to major news, Huw began his career in broadcasting at an early age. His passion for journalism has taken him from the Swansea Sound radio station to the main stage of the BBC and ever one to 'send the elevator back down', he regularly shares his expertise with budding journalists of the future at Welsh universities. But how did Huw's own journey in media begin?
Born in Bridgend, Huw's Welsh-speaking family moved to Llangennech, near Llanelli, when he was four years old. His father, Hywel Teifi Edwards, was a Plaid Cymru and Welsh language activist and his mother was Aerona Protheroe, a teacher at Llanelli's Ysgol Gyfun y Strade.
Last year, during an S4C documentary that celebrated Huw's 60th birthday, the newsreader spoke of his turbulent relationship with his father. He said: "We weren't that close to be honest - not like me and mam, because dad wasn't that present when I was growing up. He could be quite sharp. I laugh when people tell me that dad was full of humour and that he always had a smile on his face. I often think - what, do you live on the same planet as me? Yes, he could be very witty and he could laugh. He could be very sharp-tongued at times and if you were on the receiving end of that, it wasn't very fun." You can read more about this here.
The BBC veteran was educated at Llanelli Boys' Grammar School and graduated with a first-class honours degree in French from University College, Cardiff, in 1983. After his first degree, he started postgraduate work at Cardiff University in Medieval French, before becoming a reporter for local radio station Swansea Sound and then joining the BBC in 1984. Little did Huw know that this decision was going to change the course of his life forever.
Two years after joining the BBC as a news trainee, Huw became Parliamentary Correspondent for BBC Wales. He would stay in this role until May 1999 when he took over as host of the BBC Six O'Clock News. It was during this time that the programme would become the most-watched programme in Britain.
In a natural progression, Huw would leave the Six O'Clock News in 2003 and step up to the main stage of the BBC Ten O'Clock News - a position he still holds today. Proving popular with viewers and BBC bosses, Huw has become synonymous with his signature hand-on-desk pose at the start of each broadcast. The stance, itself, even has its own Twitter account and when Huw doesn't do it, you know something is wrong.
Huw is also the main face of the BBC's coverage of the Festival of Remembrance, Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament. In 2019, he took over from David Dimbleby as the main host of BBC's election coverage. During his first time as lead-host, Conservative MP Boris Johnson won a landslide majority over Labour rival Jeremy Corbyn and became the UK's Prime Minister.
Alongside his political coverage, he also leads the BBC's coverage on the Royal Family. Over the years, he has covered the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as the Diamond and Platinum Jubilee in 2012 and 2022 respectively. Following Queen Elizabeth's death and his subsequent praise for announcing the news, Huw responded on Instagram. He wrote: "My work is a privilege (Thank you for all your messages)" and got a huge response to the post.
All good things come to an end though and Huw has admitted that whilst his work is a 'privilege', he has contemplated his future with the BBC. In August 2021, he told 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."
Known for being very private about his personal life, Huw rarely shares photos of his family with his followers. He is married to TV producer, Vicky Flind, and the couple have five children. Vicky used to work for the BBC herself and was a long-standing editor of the BBC's The Week politics show. She left her role in 2016 and moved to rival ITV show Peston.
Huw's life isn't all hard-hitting, serious news. In 2012, he made an appearance in James Bond film Skyfall (admittedly as himself, reporting on a fictional attack on MI6). He has also appeared on BBC One's Mary Berry's Christmas Party, Would I Lie To You? and even made a cameo role in Doctor Who.
Aside from his journalism work, Huw is also a keen boxer and regularly posts photos of himself in the ring. In fact, it was his passion for boxing that helped him to not only shed a few pounds but also manage his mental health. In the past, he has opened up about suffering with depression since 2002 and cites fitness as being a coping mechanism.
Speaking to Men's Health UK magazine earlier this year, Huw said it's "pretty clear" that he has suffered with depression in the past, and continues to do so now, and explained that the condition can cause him to struggle to make decisions, dread going to work and, ultimately, struggle to get out of bed.
He said: "I'm pretty clear that I have suffered - and do suffer - from depression," he told magazine columnist and mental health campaigner Alastair Campbell. "It's not anxiety, although it includes anxiety, but it tends to hit me in a strong wave and then go away... I think at least I now know when I'm going to enter a phase like that.
"Your mind goes into a place where you don't want to do anything. You can't make any decisions," he added. "Things that you usually enjoy, you dread. You come into work and obviously you do a professional job, but you're kind of pushing your way through it. And, of course, if it's very bad - as it has been a few times over the course of 20 years - you can't work. During the worst one I had, I couldn't get out of bed."
Next year, Huw Edwards celebrates 40 years of working as a journalist. Over this time, he has covered countless events for the BBC. With many people calling for the broadcaster's knighthood, it remains to be seen if we will all be referring to him as 'Sir Huw' in the near future but we wouldn't be surprised if it did happen. You can get more celebrity news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
The Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla airs on both BBC and ITV1 on Saturday, May 6 from 10.15am.
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