Huw Edwards named as BBC presenter caught up in nude pictures scandal
One of the UK’s biggest TV stars has been revealed as the man embroiled in an alleged nude pictures scandal with a teenager.
Britain’s top newsreader has been revealed as the TV star at the centre of an alleged nude pictures scandal which included claims he paid a teenager for sexual images.
Huw Edwards, 61, was named by his wife Vicky Flind.
In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, UK time, Ms Flind said her household name husband was “suffering from serious mental health issues” and was “receiving inpatient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future”.
For two decades, Edwards has presented the BBC’s flagship and top rating News at Ten.
He is one of the BBC’s top paid stars, earning £440,000 ($A842,000), and has helmed many of the organisation’s most important news events of the last decade including the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles’ coronation.
‘No offence committed’
There had been furious speculation about the identity of the anchor since allegations were published last week that a BBC presenter had had sought to buy sexual pictures of a person when they were 17.
In the UK, the age of consent is 16-years-old. However, in England and Wales any distribution of sexual images of someone under the age of 18 is illegal.
The young person, now 20, at the centre of those claims said the allegations – made by their parents – were “rubbish”.
On Wednesday, London's Metropolitan Police said that no offence had been committed in relation to those claims.
“Detectives... have now concluded their assessment and have determined there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed,” The Met stated.
It said it was aware other allegations had been made but no specific information had been passed to police.
“Should evidence of criminality or safeguarding issues be identified at any point we would expect matters to be referred to the relevant police force.”
‘Huw is deeply sorry’
From Wales, Edwards has been at the BBC for four decades and has presented the BBC News at Ten since 2003.
He lives in London with his wife and has five children. He had previously spoken of his struggle with depression.
Ms Flind issued a statement at 6pm Wednesday UK time (3am Thursday AEST) naming the presenter for the first time. She said the statement was on his behalf after an “extremely difficult five days”.
“Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years,” Ms Flind stated.
“The events of the last few days have greatly worsened matters, he has suffered another serious episode and is now receiving inpatient 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.
Ms Flind asked for privacy for both the couple’s family and “for everyone else caught up in these upsetting events”.
“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.”
‘Creepy’ messages
The statement did not address the veracity of the various claims made about Edwards in recent days from multiple people including the latest allegation that he sent Instagram messages to another 17-year-old using heart emojis and kisses.
On Wednesday, The Sun published claims the presenter messaged the teen out of the blue.
The now 22-year-old said they followed the BBC star’s Insta account in 2018. Months later, in October, they said the presenter struck up a conversation with a love heart emoji. The young person said they had had no prior contact with the individual.
When the teen replied with a message saying “How’s it going at the BBC?” the star is alleged to have replied “All good thanks” and then followed that with an “X”.
The presenter said he was “just being polite” when the young person appeared to question the heart.
Over several months the pair communicated including talking about the presenter’s work.
In January 2019, the teen said they were at school and they had the opportunity to do a project on the BBC and asked the presenter if they should.
“Yes, no question,” was the reply.
The messages were sporadic and over a long period and it appears there was nothing overtly sexual about them.
Nonetheless, the 22-year-old told the newspaper the interaction was concerning.
“Looking back now it does seem creepy because he was messaging me when I was still at school.
“In light of everything now, I feel shocked because as a broadcaster it is a name everyone would trust.
“I had no reason to think it was anything beyond that at that time.”
The teen said they were initially “taken aback” by the love heart emoji and kiss but they conceded they likely “did not think anything of it” at the time.
“I did think it was a little strange that he used a kiss at the end but, ultimately, I was not reading into these messages in that way and so did not think more about it at the time.”
The young person noticed the love hearts and kisses vanished from later messages that were also more truncated and abrupt.
“In light of what I know now, it feels as though when he realised I was not flirtatious back, he changed in the way he would reply,” they said.
Push for presenter to come forward
Earlier, pressure was building on Edwards to reveal himself, despite no charges having been laid.
Fellow BBC presenter Jeremy Vine was falsely accused on the weekend of being the star at the centre of the scandal.
“I’m starting to think the BBC presenter involved in the scandal should now come forward publicly,” Vine said on Twitter.
“These new allegations will result in yet more vitriol being thrown at perfectly innocent colleagues of his.
“And the BBC, which I’m sure he loves, is on its knees with this. But it is his decision and his alone.”
The new allegations Vine referred too was another person who has came forward. That person said the star sent “abusive and menacing” messages.
They said the presenter had contacted them on a dating app and asked them to meet up, but they never did.
They recognised the presenter and, the BBC reported, “hinted they might name” them which led to a number of “abusive expletive filled messages”.
“They said the threats made in the messages … had frightened them, and they remain scared,” BBC News reported.
The broadcaster has said it had seen the messages and confirmed they came from a phone which belonged to the star.
Original claims ‘rubbish’
On Sunday, the BBC suspended Edwards and began an investigation. That probe has since been paused on the advice of the police which is doing its own investigation.
On Monday, UK time, the BBC said it had received a letter from the original young person’s lawyers saying “nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place”.
“The allegations reported … are rubbish,” the letter said.
However, the family has stood by its claims.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, the BBC director general Tim Davie said the scandal was “clearly damaging” to the broadcaster.
He defended the BBC’s handling of the issue and said the allegations were immediately taken seriously but conceded there was a question as to whether it raised “red flags quick enough”.
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