TV celebrities and well known names from the political sphere have been speaking out about Huw Edwards after he was named as the BBC presenter at the centre of allegations relating to sexually explicit images of a young person. On Wednesday, Vicky Flind, the newsreader's wife, named him in a statement issued on his behalf.
In her statement, Vicky Flind said her husband was "suffering from serious mental health issues" and was now “receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future” as she asked for privacy for her family.
The Metropolitan Police has said no criminal offence has been committed by Mr Edwards. Meanwhile, South Wales Police also said there was no evidence of criminal offences found during its enquiries into allegations linked to the BBC presenter. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Read more: Huw Edwards named as BBC presenter as wife says he is in hospital
Familiar faces across the UK, including newsreader Dan Walker and former political strategist Alastair Campbell have since had their say on the matter. On Twitter, Dan Walker, who previously worked for the BBC, tweeted: "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."
Meanwhile, Alastair Campbell wrote in a thread on the social media platform: "Like virtually everyone else, I know absolutely nothing about the events that have led to the statement by Huw Edwards’ wife. But I do know that he is a superb broadcaster. I know too that he has a long history of depression.
"He and I have spoken about it often, including in an interview for Mens Health UK shortly before the Queen’s death which he covered so brilliantly. Precisely because he is both well known and well liked he is the perfect target for those who would undermine and indeed would like to destroy the BBC. Nobody should help them.
"The police having said no action to be taken, whatever he did or did not do is a matter for him and his family, and for the BBC. The obsession with this story has been a further sign of a media that has frankly become weird. But I hope - almost certainly in vain - that Huw and his family are given the privacy they need and to which they are entitled. And the same goes for all others involved in this story. I hope he is getting good care and wish it was available to all who struggle with their mental health."
Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips, also took to Twitter and wrote: "Just coming on here to say that Vicky Flind is by some distance one of the nicest, kindest and most decent women I've had the privilege to work with."
A former colleague of Mr Edwards, journalist Jon Sopel, tweeted: "This is an awful and shocking episode, where there was no criminality, but perhaps a complicated private life. That doesn’t feel very private now. I hope that will give some cause to reflect. They really need to. I wish Huw Edwards well."
Meanwhile, Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE of Mountain Ash West tweeted: "Hopefully the trial by media and social media in particular will come to an end. I hope Huw Edwards gets the space, privacy, and support that he clearly needs. Let’s allow the BBC to do their investigation, no more speculation and rumour for the sake of everyone involved."
Speaking on his TalkTV show on Wednesday night, Piers Morgan said: "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 pic 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."
