Huw Edwards resigns from BBC after explicit photo scandal

Huw Edwards has resigned from the BBC, the broadcaster has said.

Last summer, The Sun released a report alleging that a male BBC presenter had paid a teenager for explicit photos.

And as speculation increased, Edwards' wife Vicky Flind named the BBC News at 10 presenter as the man at the centre of the allegations.

Her statement read: "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.

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

Huw Edwards has resigned from the BBC. (Joe Maher/Getty Images)

When the allegations arose in July, Edwards was suspended from his position at the BBC.

And today (22 April), after working with the broadcaster for 40 years, the presenter has left the BBC.

A BBC spokesperson said in a statement: “Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC.

"After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors.

“The BBC has accepted his resignation which it believes will allow all parties to move forward. We don’t believe it appropriate to comment further.”

Edwards was the BBC's highest-earning newsreader and covered major stories, such as announcing the Queen's death in 2022.

But since the allegations of the explicit photos broke, the 62-year-old has not been on our screens.

In February, the BBC apologised to the teenager's family over the way their complaint was handled as it was accused of not responding quickly enough.

Huw Edwards. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

First published by The Sun on 7 July, it was alleged that Edwards paid a teen more than £35,000 for sexually explicit photos.

Less than a week after, the Metropolitan Police said it wouldn't be taking any further action as it wasn't believed that any criminal activity had taken place.

A letter from the teenager via his lawyers to BBC News also said nothing inappropriate or unlawful had occurred.

The rest of Flind's statement at the time read: "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. To be clear Huw was first told that there were allegations being made against him last Thursday.

"In the circumstances and given Huw’s condition I would like to ask that the privacy of my family and everyone else caught up in these upsetting events is respected.

"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."

LADbible has contacted Edwards' reps for comment.

Topics: BBC, Huw Edwards, Mental Health, Celebrity

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_