Vaunted BBC anchor Huw Edwards was unmasked by his wife Wednesday as the mystery broadcaster who allegedly paid more than $45,000 to a teenager for sexually explicit photos.
The host of the BBC’s flagship “News at Ten” program — and one of the most recognizable faces on British TV — was named by his wife, Vicky Flind, in a statement issued on Edwards’ behalf to the U.K. Press Association.
“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. I am doing this primarily out of concern for his mental well-being and to protect our children,” she said.
In its own statement, BBC said the Metropolitan Police had completed its investigation into Edwards and would take no further action.
“We’re grateful to them for completing this work at speed. The police had previously asked us to pause our fact-finding investigation 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,” a BBC rep said in a statement.
The bombshell news about Edwards follows a weekend of speculation, sparked by a story in The Sun on Friday, in which the teen’s mother came forward with the accusations, claiming that the requests for photos had begun when her child — now 20 — was 17 years old.
The mother claimed the teen was paid by a male BBC presenter more than $45,000 over three years to fund the child’s crack cocaine addiction, according to The Sun. The outlet did not reveal Edwards’ name — only that he was a a well-known male BBC staffer — prompting several TV personalities to publicly announce that it wasn’t them.
A second report by The Sun revealed that the BBC had suspended the presenter.
The police said in their statement that no criminal charges would be brought against the 61-year-old host.
“There is no further police action. As such, the Met has advised the BBC it can continue with its internal investigation,” the UK police force said.
In her statement, Flind said her husband faced “serious mental health issues” after he had been treated for severe depression in recent years. He is currently receiving in-patient hospital care and will respond to the allegations when he is in a position to do so, she said.
“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,” Flind said, while also asking for privacy for her family.
“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,” she concluded.
The reveal of Edwards’ name on Wednesday sent shockwaves through Britain. The host, who joined the BBC in 1984, has been the face of BBC’s news broadcasts for several years.
His high-profile coverage included a slew of landmark royal events such as the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the funeral of Prince Philip, the death and state funeral of Elizabeth II and the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.
Although news of the suspension had been released over the weekend, the teen’s mother claimed that she initially approached the network with the complaint in May, yet Edwards remained on air for six weeks.
In response, the BBC said that the new allegations presented were of a “different nature,” after which it launched its own investigation and contacted the police.
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