After five days of intense speculation, the BBC presenter at the centre of the ongoing allegations was finally named Wednesday night as newsreader Huw Edwards – by his own wife.
In her statement, Vicky Flind said Huw had been ‘suffering from serious mental health issues’ and is now ‘receiving in-patient hospital care where he will stay for the foreseeable future’ as she asked for privacy for her family.
‘Once well enough to do so, he intends to respond to the stories that have been published’, she added.
Dan Walker
Former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker has thrown his support behind Huw Edwards, saying he is ‘clearly not in a good place’ after Huw’s wife Vicky Flind confirmed he was the previously-unnamed suspended BBC star.
Huw’s wife shared a statement this evening, confirming the 61-year-old had been the BBC presenter facing allegations he had paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit images over the course of three years from the age of 17.
He wrote on Twitter: ‘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.’
Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan has described Huw Edwards as a ‘stand up’ guy as he spoke of the shock of yesterday’s revelation.
Speaking at the top of his show on Talk TV, Piers 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 picture 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.’
He added: ‘The speculation was becoming completely unsustainable. Many other BBC presenters were being shamed and vilified on social media, for something they had nothing to do with …
‘Viewers would have noticed Huw had vanished overnight from the nightly news bulletins. He is now in a very serious situation. He probably feels like he’s losing everything.’
Alastair Campbell
Alastair Campbell wrote: ‘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 @MensHealthUK 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.’
Jon Sopel
Jon Sopel, a former BBC journalist who has been North America editor, a political correspondent and presenter, 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 @thehuwedwards well.’
John Simpson
BBC presenter John Simpson wrote: ‘I feel so sorry for everyone involved in this: for the Edwards family, for the complainants, and for Huw himself. No criminal offences were committed, so it’s a purely personal tragedy for everyone involved. Let’s hope the press leave them all alone now.’
