British television presenter Huw Edwards has officially resigned from his position at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The broadcaster reports this on its website.
The tabloid The Sun had published a report in July last year about an unnamed prominent BBC employee whom it accused of paying tens of thousands of pounds for nude pictures to a teenager. In order to stop public speculation, Huw Edwards’ wife Vicky Flind announced two weeks later that it was her husband. Flind said at the time that Edwards was “seriously mentally ill.” The BBC then suspended him.
The Sun referred to the mother and stepfather of the young person in question in their reporting. However, in a letter written by a lawyer on behalf of the alleged minor, their account was described as “nonsense.” Following a detailed investigation, the Metropolitan Police concluded that there was nothing to suggest that Huw Edwards had committed any crime. Nevertheless, the moderator no longer appeared in public after that. He had previously been hospitalized several times for severe depression.
The BBC only commented briefly
This Monday afternoon, the BBC released a short statement saying that Edwards had left the broadcaster: “After 40 years of service, Huw Edwards has stated that he made this decision on the medical advice of his doctors,” the report continued. “The BBC has accepted his resignation and believes this gives everyone involved the opportunity to move forward.” Further comments are considered inappropriate.
The Welshman started as a trainee at the BBC in 1984 and in 2003 became one of the main presenters of the “Ten O’Clock News”, the broadcaster’s main news format. He was considered particularly trustworthy by audiences and regularly moderated and commented on parliamentary elections, royal weddings and funerals. In 2022, Huw Edwards announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II in a live broadcast.
According to the BBC, there are no plans to pay severance pay.