Huw Edwards: BBC Viewers demand to hear from presenter after explicit photo scandal

On 12 July, it was revealed that BBC presenter Huw Edwards was the man The Sun newspaper had been writing about concerning payments of an underage man for explicit pictures.

This revelation was made by Huw Edwards’ wife after days of people guessing and accusing other BBC presenters. This all came to be after The Sun published a story in which two parents were accusing a star BBC presenter of paying over £30k to their son for explicit pictures.

Now, almost a month after Huw Edwards was named as the presenter at the centre of this scandal, people online are wondering where the presenter is and how he is doing. Here’s everything we know.

Huw Edwards hasn’t made a statement

Following days of ongoing rumours circulating, Vicky Flind, Edwards’ wife, put a stop to it when she released a statement naming her husband as the presenterThe Sun had been talking about.

Flind’s statement itself followed a Met police report stating:

Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command have now concluded their assessment and have determined there is no information to indicate that a criminal offence has been committed

While the Met stopped their investigation they urged the BBC to ‘continue with its internal investigation.’

However, while this story gathered a lot of comments from strangers and journalists alike, Huw Edwards has remained surprisingly and consistently silent. Indeed, he was removed from the network just as The Sun’s story was about to come out.

That means that viewers have been left without Edwards who had been the face of the evening news bulletin for many years. He is also the one who announced Queen Elizabeth’s death to the country. His silence is therefore widely felt and people online are starting to wonder why this is his chosen strategy.

Read more:BBC presenter scandal: Who is Tim Davie the Director general of the channel?

Huw Edwards’ history with mental health issues

In her statement, Vicky Flind, mentioned her husband’ mental health.

She wrote:

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.

Moreover, her statement clearly hints that this scandal and the days of unending pressure had had a massive impact on Huw Edwards’ mental wellbeing.

She said:

Huw is suffering from serious mental health issues. As is well documented, he has been treated for severe depression in recent years.

It is true that Edwards has been an advocate for the liberation of speech around mental health issues. In a 2022 interview with Men’s Health, Huw Edwards admitted ‘a 20-year struggle with debilitating depression.’

He says:

It’s not anxiety, although it includes anxiety, but it tends to hit me in a strong wave and then go away.

After releasing her statement Vicky Flind shared that her husband was ‘receiving in-patient hospital care’ and that it was ‘where he will stay for the foreseeable future.’

Considering that the scandal broke only a month ago and knowing Huw Edwards’ battle with mental health, it is completely understandable to not have much coming from him directly.

In his Men’s Health interview he shared details about his battle with depression saying:

(It is like) Your mind goes into a place where you don’t want to do anything. You can’t make any decisions. (...) I have seen someone in the past. And I have taken antidepressants in the past.

Finishing with:

And, of course, if it’s very bad – as it has been a few times over the course of 20 years – you can’t work.

We hope Huw Edwards is getting the help he needs.

If you are currently struggling with your mental health, you should reach out to a medical professional or click HERE to access the NHS Mental Health Services

Read more:

⋙ Huw Edwards: Poll reveals 53% of public want him back on BBC on one condition

⋙ Huw Edwards: The BBC presenter deletes social media account amid new video scandal

Sources:

The Independent: Huw Edwards: Read Metropolitan Police statement in full as presenter named by wife

Sky News: Huw Edwards - latest: BBC presenter 'suffering serious mental health issues' and 'receiving in-patient hospital care' - follow latest

Men’s Health: Talking Heads: Alastair Campbell Meets Huw Edwards

NHS